I would think security and noise would be the biggest concerns, after little to no community building. Sure, there's ample parking and food and shopping in the building, and I see your argument for shaping the human experience of the mall experience, and I love to see people thinking of alternate uses of existing space, especially unique spaces that bend the norm.
How would you deal with security that is not as precarious as when someone a cafe? If someone has to go to the bathroom, which in a mall is probably not in the unit but rather a large shared bathroom off the food court, do they have to pack up their things and take it with them? Even to have a meeting if you have a separate meeting room in the unit, a member would still have to pack up their things and move them into the meeting room for meeting, which might affect the professional atmosphere of the small business owner. Noise would be a huge issue, unless you had a public cafe in one half and could section off a members-only area (with key fob access that would also address the security issue) with a sound proof wall and door. If you look back through this group, some spaces have talked about having a public cafe in their space but, though handy to have the coffee so close, noise transfer was a prohibiting factor for some of them. It can be done successfully, given the structure of some spaces, but noise from a cafe *and* a mall might be too much for some coworkers to handle if not done well. If you can find a way to strive for the core values of coworking, the location of the space should matter less, especially if you can prove the business model and ensure you're attracting people who want coworking and not just somewhere to sit with wifi. But ensure that you're not just dressing up an internet cafe by using the fancy word coworking and prove it can be done! r. *____________________rachel young*[email protected] *We're located at 2241 Dundas St W, 3rd floor* *(between Bloor and Roncesvalles)* *Chat with me *via 10KCoffees <http://www.TenThousandCoffees.com/profile/rachel-young> *Find us online:* Website/blog <http://camaraderie.ca> and Newsletter <http://bit.ly/camaraderienewsletter>, Twitter <http://twitter.com/camaraderie>, Facebook <http://bit.ly/9zv3Fx>, Google+ <http://bit.ly/CamaraderiePlus>, Yelp <http://bit.ly/CamaraderieYelp>, and LinkedIn <http://bit.ly/CamaraderieGroup> We're a proud member of CoworkingToronto <http://www.coworkingtoronto.ca/>, CoworkingOntario <http://coworkingontario.ca/>, and CoworkingCanada <http://www.coworkingcanada.ca/>! On 22 October 2014 10:12, Aaron Cruikshank <[email protected]> wrote: > If you can work laser tag into your space, you might have a winning > formula! > > _______________ > Aaron Cruikshank > Principal, CRUIKSHANK > Phone: 778.908.4560 > email: [email protected] > web: cruikshank.me > twitter: @cruikshank > book a meeting: doodle.com/cruikshank > linkedin: linkedin.com/in/cruikshank > On Oct 22, 2014 3:15 AM, "Will Bennis, Locus Workspace" < > [email protected]> wrote: > >> Hi All, >> >> Recently a shopping mall realtor approached me about opening a coworking >> space in their closed gaming zone/internet cafe. I'd love to hear opinions >> about this, pros and cons. Before you completely ignore this post as coming >> from someone who is clearly not from the same coworking planet, here is why >> I'm even considering it: >> >> (1) *With respect to the fact that mall real estate goes for a premium: *At >> least where I am, a lot of shopping malls are trying to build in >> community/space quality features that make going to the mall (which lets >> face it, most people in urban areas sometimes do) a more human experience: >> space-taking areas like open art galleries, free indoor playgrounds, >> exhibition space, gardens, etc. These spaces add value/traffic to the mall >> as a whole, making the rentable space more valuable. This means that the >> mall owner may be willing to partially fund a coworking space if it adds >> value to the mall as a whole. >> >> (2) *With regard to the importance of community and quality of the work >> environment: *Sure, malls are horrific. But they're also a reality. >> Wouldn't creating coworking spaces in the horrific reality of a shopping >> mall make malls a little less horrific? To the extent you could contribute >> to the reinvention of malls as more human, community-focused spaces, >> wouldn't it be a good thing to promote the development of a coworking space >> in a mall? >> >> (3) *With respect to the objection that it wouldn't be sustainable; the >> kind of people drawn to coworking would not want to do it in a mall: *The >> malls where I am right now have many fast food restaurants (McDonalds, KFC, >> etc.) with free bad wifi and people working away on their laptops or in >> business meetings, or higher end cafes where laptop workers aren't as >> welcome and places to work aren't comfortable or well suited for meaningful >> work or quality meetings. I would guess many of the people who work in the >> area or who are just there while their partners are shopping or their kids >> are at the movies would love a more human space to work. Yes, they're not >> the people traditionally drawn to coworking, but is there room for >> something in between? >> >> My big question I guess is whether there would be a way to do this that >> would create more than the equivalent of a hotel "business center" or an >> internet cafe? Would there value or demand for a community-focused >> workspace in a mall? >> >> Clearly this couldn't be an ideal community-focused and community-driven >> coworking space. But is there room for something between the ideal and the >> "business center" in a shopping mall (or airport or highway >> gas-station/restaurant off-ramp for that matter)? Something that would help >> build the sense of community and humanity in these largely community-less >> spaces? Could it bear the *coworking *name? >> >> I'd love to hear your thoughts on this. >> >> Best, >> Will >> >> -- >> Visit this forum on the web at http://discuss.coworking.com >> --- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> "Coworking" group. >> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >> email to [email protected]. >> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. >> > -- > Visit this forum on the web at http://discuss.coworking.com > --- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "Coworking" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. > -- Visit this forum on the web at http://discuss.coworking.com --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Coworking" group. 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