[Coworking] Re: Coworking in a shopping mall?

[Katharine Chestnut]

I saw a coworking space when we were in Rio earlier this year. It was small 
but in use. There was a Starbucks nearby and they were one a few mall 
merchants apparently sponsoring the space. I'm guessing it was empty retail 
space that they wanted to use to attract more people into the mall. It made 
me think about doing something like that near our space (there is a cool 
warehouse with lots of restaurants that our members go to for lunch) but I 
ended up realizing that our members went there to escape work for a while.

However, the restaurant trend intrigues 
me. 
https://www.fastcompany.com/3061602/why-freelancers-are-paying-to-work-in-high-end-restaurants-before-they-op

Katharine




On Wednesday, October 22, 2014 at 6:15:05 AM UTC-4, Will Bennis, Locus 
Workspace 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
>

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Re: [Coworking] Re: Coworking in a shopping mall?

[Will Bennis, Ph.D. | Locus Workspace]

We already had a coworking space. Was just considering another location and
decided against it. Something in particular driving the question? Maybe I
could answer better.

On Apr 20, 2017 11:44 PM, "Patricia Spicuzza" 
wrote:

Will, Can you share what type of space you went to instead?  Or did you not
go into opening a space?


On Friday, March 24, 2017 at 2:30:23 PM UTC-4, Will Bennis, Locus Workspace
wrote:
>
> I didn't end up doing it, so can't report anything useful. :)
>
> On Friday, March 24, 2017 at 6:35:29 PM UTC+1, Patricia Spicuzza wrote:
>>
>> Hey Will,
>> I was just looking for an update on this, particularly in light of the
>> retail apocalypse happening now.
>>
>> What's the word?
>>
>> Patricia
>>
>> On Wednesday, October 22, 2014 at 6:15:05 AM UTC-4, Will Bennis, Locus
>> Workspace 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
>>>
>> --
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[Coworking] Re: Coworking in a shopping mall?

[Patricia Spicuzza]

Will, Can you share what type of space you went to instead?  Or did you not 
go into opening a space?

On Friday, March 24, 2017 at 2:30:23 PM UTC-4, Will Bennis, Locus Workspace 
wrote:
>
> I didn't end up doing it, so can't report anything useful. :)
>
> On Friday, March 24, 2017 at 6:35:29 PM UTC+1, Patricia Spicuzza wrote:
>>
>> Hey Will, 
>> I was just looking for an update on this, particularly in light of the 
>> retail apocalypse happening now.  
>>
>> What's the word?
>>
>> Patricia 
>>
>> On Wednesday, October 22, 2014 at 6:15:05 AM UTC-4, Will Bennis, Locus 
>> Workspace 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
>>>
>>

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[Coworking] Re: Coworking in a shopping mall?

[Will Bennis, Locus Workspace]

I didn't end up doing it, so can't report anything useful. :)

On Friday, March 24, 2017 at 6:35:29 PM UTC+1, Patricia Spicuzza wrote:
>
> Hey Will, 
> I was just looking for an update on this, particularly in light of the 
> retail apocalypse happening now.  
>
> What's the word?
>
> Patricia 
>
> On Wednesday, October 22, 2014 at 6:15:05 AM UTC-4, Will Bennis, Locus 
> Workspace 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
>>
>

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[Coworking] Re: Coworking in a shopping mall?

[Patricia Spicuzza]

Hey Will, 
I was just looking for an update on this, particularly in light of the 
retail apocalypse happening now.  

What's the word?

Patricia 

On Wednesday, October 22, 2014 at 6:15:05 AM UTC-4, Will Bennis, Locus 
Workspace 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
>

-- 
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[Coworking] Re: Coworking in a shopping mall?

[Tim Syth]

I...amBucketworks!

I do not have a blog post lying around, but I would be happy to write one. 
Shoot me a direct email and we can arrange specifics and what not there.

Thanks.

On Wednesday, October 29, 2014 4:01:52 AM UTC-5, Jeannine wrote:

 Hi, TIm,

 Are you Bucketworks?  (Um, that came out sounding a little more 
 existential than I intended.  Wisconsin has that effect on me. :-))

 I wonder if you have a blog post lying around we can put on the Coworking 
 Blog?  Or if you copudl write one? 

 I think your take on this would be really interesting, to a lot of people.

 Cheers,

 Jeannine

 On Saturday, October 25, 2014 5:42:02 PM UTC+2, Tim Syth wrote:

 Hi All,

 We currently operate out of a mall.

 Positives

- Because the economy in Milwaukee has been depressed for awhile, the 
rates are dirt cheap. Like crazy cheap. I would bet more mall space moves 
in this direction.
- Security: We have a FOB system and the door is locked 24/7. There 
have been occasions when the door was left open and we did have strangers 
drop in and grab gear, but we learned quickly.
- 24/7 access: Because the mall needs tenants, a member just calls 
security after the mall is closed and gets let in assuming they are on 
 the 
security whitelist. I add our members to the whitelist
- Noise: It was a bummer until we disabled all the Muzak speakers 
near our space. Its pretty chill now. But shhh!, we definitely hacked 
 the 
space.
- Diversity: our mall is at the center of the city, all bus lines 
pass it and all types of people use it. Because of this, we get a lot of 
non-standard people walking by and stopping in to ask questions. This, in 
my opinion, is a massive opportunity to diversify beyond the standard 
nomadic, tech-oriented, middle-class user base. This positive alone makes 
much of the negative go away.
- Community: It can very much be a community-driven and -oriented 
space. We must be careful not to let our own ideals mask the creativity 
 and 
resilience of humans. It works, but it will likely be a slightly 
 different 
crowd that you see in the photos.

 Negatives

- Natural light: We don't have any windows directly to the outside. 
The center atrium allow some light in through the front glass, but our 
space is deep so the back is all artificial light.
- Parking: There is lots of it, but it is relatively expensive. A 
daily user can spend more on parking in a month than the membership 
 costs. 
That is money I would rather we were collecting than giving to the mall. 
Biking and public transit solve this problem.
- Access: While we can get into the building, parking and then 
walking into a large building to our spot isn't as convenient (or easy to 
find) as having a space that is curbside or standalone. This can have an 
effect on event attendance because malls do have an environment that can 
 be 
very different than the environment within our space.

 Bottom line: The lack of natural light and expensive parking can be a lot 
 to bear, but the diversity of users and the fact that a consumption-based 
 location is being disrupted and improved (in my opinion) is pretty cool.

 On Wednesday, October 22, 2014 5:15:05 AM UTC-5, Will Bennis, Locus 
 Workspace 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 

[Coworking] Re: Coworking in a shopping mall?

[Jeannine]

Hi, TIm,

Are you Bucketworks?  (Um, that came out sounding a little more existential 
than I intended.  Wisconsin has that effect on me. :-))

I wonder if you have a blog post lying around we can put on the Coworking 
Blog?  Or if you copudl write one? 

I think your take on this would be really interesting, to a lot of people.

Cheers,

Jeannine

On Saturday, October 25, 2014 5:42:02 PM UTC+2, Tim Syth wrote:

 Hi All,

 We currently operate out of a mall.

 Positives

- Because the economy in Milwaukee has been depressed for awhile, the 
rates are dirt cheap. Like crazy cheap. I would bet more mall space moves 
in this direction.
- Security: We have a FOB system and the door is locked 24/7. There 
have been occasions when the door was left open and we did have strangers 
drop in and grab gear, but we learned quickly.
- 24/7 access: Because the mall needs tenants, a member just calls 
security after the mall is closed and gets let in assuming they are on the 
security whitelist. I add our members to the whitelist
- Noise: It was a bummer until we disabled all the Muzak speakers near 
our space. Its pretty chill now. But shhh!, we definitely hacked the 
space.
- Diversity: our mall is at the center of the city, all bus lines pass 
it and all types of people use it. Because of this, we get a lot of 
non-standard people walking by and stopping in to ask questions. This, in 
my opinion, is a massive opportunity to diversify beyond the standard 
nomadic, tech-oriented, middle-class user base. This positive alone makes 
much of the negative go away.
- Community: It can very much be a community-driven and -oriented 
space. We must be careful not to let our own ideals mask the creativity 
 and 
resilience of humans. It works, but it will likely be a slightly different 
crowd that you see in the photos.

 Negatives

- Natural light: We don't have any windows directly to the outside. 
The center atrium allow some light in through the front glass, but our 
space is deep so the back is all artificial light.
- Parking: There is lots of it, but it is relatively expensive. A 
daily user can spend more on parking in a month than the membership costs. 
That is money I would rather we were collecting than giving to the mall. 
Biking and public transit solve this problem.
- Access: While we can get into the building, parking and then walking 
into a large building to our spot isn't as convenient (or easy to find) as 
having a space that is curbside or standalone. This can have an effect on 
event attendance because malls do have an environment that can be very 
different than the environment within our space.

 Bottom line: The lack of natural light and expensive parking can be a lot 
 to bear, but the diversity of users and the fact that a consumption-based 
 location is being disrupted and improved (in my opinion) is pretty cool.

 On Wednesday, October 22, 2014 5:15:05 AM UTC-5, Will Bennis, Locus 
 Workspace 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 

[Coworking] Re: Coworking in a shopping mall?

[Will Bennis, Locus Workspace]

Thanks all. Comments on this have been extremely helpful!

Will

On Wednesday, October 29, 2014 10:01:52 AM UTC+1, Jeannine wrote:

 Hi, TIm,

 Are you Bucketworks?  (Um, that came out sounding a little more 
 existential than I intended.  Wisconsin has that effect on me. :-))

 I wonder if you have a blog post lying around we can put on the Coworking 
 Blog?  Or if you copudl write one? 

 I think your take on this would be really interesting, to a lot of people.

 Cheers,

 Jeannine

 On Saturday, October 25, 2014 5:42:02 PM UTC+2, Tim Syth wrote:

 Hi All,

 We currently operate out of a mall.

 Positives

- Because the economy in Milwaukee has been depressed for awhile, the 
rates are dirt cheap. Like crazy cheap. I would bet more mall space moves 
in this direction.
- Security: We have a FOB system and the door is locked 24/7. There 
have been occasions when the door was left open and we did have strangers 
drop in and grab gear, but we learned quickly.
- 24/7 access: Because the mall needs tenants, a member just calls 
security after the mall is closed and gets let in assuming they are on 
 the 
security whitelist. I add our members to the whitelist
- Noise: It was a bummer until we disabled all the Muzak speakers 
near our space. Its pretty chill now. But shhh!, we definitely hacked 
 the 
space.
- Diversity: our mall is at the center of the city, all bus lines 
pass it and all types of people use it. Because of this, we get a lot of 
non-standard people walking by and stopping in to ask questions. This, in 
my opinion, is a massive opportunity to diversify beyond the standard 
nomadic, tech-oriented, middle-class user base. This positive alone makes 
much of the negative go away.
- Community: It can very much be a community-driven and -oriented 
space. We must be careful not to let our own ideals mask the creativity 
 and 
resilience of humans. It works, but it will likely be a slightly 
 different 
crowd that you see in the photos.

 Negatives

- Natural light: We don't have any windows directly to the outside. 
The center atrium allow some light in through the front glass, but our 
space is deep so the back is all artificial light.
- Parking: There is lots of it, but it is relatively expensive. A 
daily user can spend more on parking in a month than the membership 
 costs. 
That is money I would rather we were collecting than giving to the mall. 
Biking and public transit solve this problem.
- Access: While we can get into the building, parking and then 
walking into a large building to our spot isn't as convenient (or easy to 
find) as having a space that is curbside or standalone. This can have an 
effect on event attendance because malls do have an environment that can 
 be 
very different than the environment within our space.

 Bottom line: The lack of natural light and expensive parking can be a lot 
 to bear, but the diversity of users and the fact that a consumption-based 
 location is being disrupted and improved (in my opinion) is pretty cool.

 On Wednesday, October 22, 2014 5:15:05 AM UTC-5, Will Bennis, Locus 
 Workspace 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, 

[Coworking] Re: Coworking in a shopping mall?

[Tim Syth]

Hi All,

We currently operate out of a mall.

Positives

   - Because the economy in Milwaukee has been depressed for awhile, the 
   rates are dirt cheap. Like crazy cheap. I would bet more mall space moves 
   in this direction.
   - Security: We have a FOB system and the door is locked 24/7. There have 
   been occasions when the door was left open and we did have strangers drop 
   in and grab gear, but we learned quickly.
   - 24/7 access: Because the mall needs tenants, a member just calls 
   security after the mall is closed and gets let in assuming they are on the 
   security whitelist. I add our members to the whitelist
   - Noise: It was a bummer until we disabled all the Muzak speakers near 
   our space. Its pretty chill now. But shhh!, we definitely hacked the 
   space.
   - Diversity: our mall is at the center of the city, all bus lines pass 
   it and all types of people use it. Because of this, we get a lot of 
   non-standard people walking by and stopping in to ask questions. This, in 
   my opinion, is a massive opportunity to diversify beyond the standard 
   nomadic, tech-oriented, middle-class user base. This positive alone makes 
   much of the negative go away.
   - Community: It can very much be a community-driven and -oriented space. 
   We must be careful not to let our own ideals mask the creativity and 
   resilience of humans. It works, but it will likely be a slightly different 
   crowd that you see in the photos.

Negatives

   - Natural light: We don't have any windows directly to the outside. The 
   center atrium allow some light in through the front glass, but our space is 
   deep so the back is all artificial light.
   - Parking: There is lots of it, but it is relatively expensive. A daily 
   user can spend more on parking in a month than the membership costs. That 
   is money I would rather we were collecting than giving to the mall. Biking 
   and public transit solve this problem.
   - Access: While we can get into the building, parking and then walking 
   into a large building to our spot isn't as convenient (or easy to find) as 
   having a space that is curbside or standalone. This can have an effect on 
   event attendance because malls do have an environment that can be very 
   different than the environment within our space.

Bottom line: The lack of natural light and expensive parking can be a lot 
to bear, but the diversity of users and the fact that a consumption-based 
location is being disrupted and improved (in my opinion) is pretty cool.

On Wednesday, October 22, 2014 5:15:05 AM UTC-5, Will Bennis, Locus 
Workspace 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 

[Coworking] Re: Coworking in a shopping mall?

[Jeannine]

Showrooming is the practice in retail of having a bricks and mortar 
location where people can look at products, which they then buy online.  It 
was all the rage about two years ago.  Reverse showrooming is the practice 
of showing people your products and information online, and selling it to 
them in a bricks and mortar location.

Both of these practices are improved by making the bricks-and-mortar 
location a place people want to go to just for itself.  People like to shop 
in places that are fun.

The tradional function of the city center in the Netherlands as a place 
people go when they have some free time, as opposed to a place where you 
are necessarily going to shop, supports both of these and would have to be 
taken into account I think in putting something like this together.  There 
have been a couple efforts here so far for rent a plank shops to showcase 
products sold by webshops, but they lack a certain...soul, a core, because 
they really are just a place where you rent a plank.

In Kamer52 we jut graduated a coworker to their own shop; it started a year 
ago as a webshop.  They started with our basic membership, which is a rock 
bottom monthly fee with a pay as you go plan for use of the space and so 
on.  They then held regular events in our workshop space for their clients, 
once every month or so, then more often.  They added having a demonstration 
area in the front room several days a week, part of the space for inventory 
and packing and so on, and by last spring they were going full bore as a 
retail operation 6 days a week.  Then they became a wholesale distributor 
and we had to talk, because at that point their space needs were such that 
they really would be needing the whole shebang unless we changed our model 
and focused only on webshops.

Which is doable but not really where I was going.  So they graduated and 
now have their own shop in the city center.  We still work together on this 
and that.

I am not saying you have to go with webshops and online services (as they 
tend to support each other) but it is an option and worth thinking about. 
 The folks with the laptops generally like it, it's interesting to them and 
is a lot mroe entertaining than working at the McDonald's.   :-)  But what 
you should focus on in startign one from scratch will depend very much on 
local conditions I think.


On Thursday, October 23, 2014 1:08:56 PM UTC+2, Will Bennis, Locus 
Workspace wrote:

 Thank you, Jeannine! This helps me think about it a lot. And I completely 
 agree with you about the importance of community focus. Just not sure if I 
 can swing it in that kind of context, which of course can't really be 
 answered till I go there and try to figure out a relatively reliable way to 
 ask. :)

 What do you mean by showrooming and reverse showrooming?

 On Thursday, October 23, 2014 12:05:49 PM UTC+2, Jeannine wrote:

 I think it's wonderful, Will, really wonderful.   Throw away that box for 
 a sec, it doesn't have to be just a laptop parking lot.  :-)

 In the Netherlands they have Seats2Meet in the train stations, in London 
 they have a coworkng space on a bus.  I feel confident that it can be done 
 in a mall.  Particularly as you say since the Euro-version of mall and the 
 associations with same are not exactly then same as the US vesion.

 My experience in building coworking community in nontraditional venues 
 has been that you have to start with the location and be true to it in some 
 weird, spiritual way.  :-)  As a gut feeling i would go with companies in 
 retail/online services and one ring around it as a starter.  

 I would look at showrooming and reverse showrooming as well.

 But I disagree on one thing:  I think the community aspect is the most 
 important; shared space in retail has been quite hot here in the NL but if 
 the coworkers lack long term relationships other than with the space 
 itself, they die off pretty fast.  

 Any help, support, brainstorming, cheerleading you may beed, please 
 please do not hesitate to call on me, you know where to find me.  I think 
 it's really exciting!

 Cheers,

 Jeannine

 On Wednesday, October 22, 2014 12:15:05 PM UTC+2, Will Bennis, Locus 
 Workspace 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 

[Coworking] Re: Coworking in a shopping mall?

[Connor Provines]

Hmm, I imagine a system like this would work best as a large-scale 
membership style coworking system; that is to say many small locations with 
universal membership. 

However, the development of a single coworking space in a mall would draw 
many issues...I imagine the largest two are the size of your space coupled 
with community, and potentially cost effectiveness. The reason internet 
Cafe's can work is because of how many people you're able to draw through 
on an hourly basis...at the same time, a coworking space isn't something 
you see and just drop into for an hour or so, you plan on going there. So 
with this in mind Could your maximum membership potential balance out the 
higher cost of mall floor rental space? Obviously it could work, but its 
something to consider.

You also run into the issue of hours of operation; from people I've spoken 
to a large part of the draw is being able to work odd hours, and you'd be 
rather trickily bound by the malls opening and closing times.

But on a bright note it can work. The largest coworking space in Kazakhstan 
is located in Astana, in a mall, and the place is huge. 
- http://www.palata.kz/en/news/9423 - So hey, you know give it a shot, and 
let us know the upsides / downsides so in the future people can better 
judge the pros and cons of this enterprise

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[Coworking] Re: Coworking in a shopping mall?

[Laura Oxenfeld]

Let's bracket considerations of noise, privacy, and security of personal 
belongings.  With those concerns aside, some creative strategic thinking 
could make a mall space great.  

What is a mall comprised of?  Stores, businesses.  What does every business 
require?  Paperwork!  A coworking space in the mall creates an opportunity 
for mall tenant businesses to come together to work on paperwork together 
and get to know one another.  While stores of large corporations might not 
be okay with letting employees change the way paperwork gets done, some of 
the smaller or independently owned businesses might give it a go.  

What else is a mall comprised of?  Lots and lots of employees, many of 
which are part time.  What kinds of people work part-time at malls?  Of 
that I'm not sure, especially outside of the USA.  However, I'm guessing 
that at least a portion of the part time employees are likely university 
students.  How great would it be to be able to move from working a shift at 
the mall to studying without leaving the building?  

Such a coworking space might also be a good resource for people who have 
businesses or work for businesses that make products which can be sold in a 
mall.  Especially if you can establish some sort of feedback loop between 
the coworking community and the mall management or 
managers/supervisors/corporate folks at stores in the mall.  QA sessions, 
workshops that overview how to get a product sold in a certain type of 
store, etc.  

Also, if there's a bar at the mall you guys can have socials for the 
coworking community at them!  

Good luck in your endeavor! 




On Wednesday, October 22, 2014 6:15:05 AM UTC-4, Will Bennis, Locus 
Workspace 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


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Re: [Coworking] Re: Coworking in a shopping mall?

[Jerome Chang]

I like that optimism.

I have also noticed that in some interior style malls in Dallas, they're open a 
little early for the public to come in. Guess what happens? Everyone comes in 
to walk w/ their strollers, jog, etc...b/c I guess it's too hot otherwise. Some 
malls have already been the anchor to the community in suburbia or other areas 
where there are no obvious town centers and such.

And then if you get an exterior space w/ its own entry, you won't have to worry 
about the time the mall opens/closes, right?

JEROME CHANG

WEST: Santa Monica
1450 2nd Street (@Broadway) | Santa Monica CA 90401 
ph: (310) 526-2255 

CENTRAL: Mid-Wilshire
5405 Wilshire Blvd (2 blocks west of La Brea) | Los Angeles CA 90036 
ph: (323) 330-9505


EAST: Downtown
529 S. Broadway, Suite 4000 (@Pershing Square) | Los Angeles CA 90013 
ph: (213) 550-2235





On Oct 23, 2014, at 4:54 PM, Laura Oxenfeld lauraoxenf...@gmail.com wrote:

 Let's bracket considerations of noise, privacy, and security of personal 
 belongings.  With those concerns aside, some creative strategic thinking 
 could make a mall space great.  
 
 What is a mall comprised of?  Stores, businesses.  What does every business 
 require?  Paperwork!  A coworking space in the mall creates an opportunity 
 for mall tenant businesses to come together to work on paperwork together and 
 get to know one another.  While stores of large corporations might not be 
 okay with letting employees change the way paperwork gets done, some of the 
 smaller or independently owned businesses might give it a go.  
 
 What else is a mall comprised of?  Lots and lots of employees, many of which 
 are part time.  What kinds of people work part-time at malls?  Of that I'm 
 not sure, especially outside of the USA.  However, I'm guessing that at least 
 a portion of the part time employees are likely university students.  How 
 great would it be to be able to move from working a shift at the mall to 
 studying without leaving the building?  
 
 Such a coworking space might also be a good resource for people who have 
 businesses or work for businesses that make products which can be sold in a 
 mall.  Especially if you can establish some sort of feedback loop between the 
 coworking community and the mall management or managers/supervisors/corporate 
 folks at stores in the mall.  QA sessions, workshops that overview how to 
 get a product sold in a certain type of store, etc.  
 
 Also, if there's a bar at the mall you guys can have socials for the 
 coworking community at them!  
 
 Good luck in your endeavor! 
 
 
 
 
 On Wednesday, October 22, 2014 6:15:05 AM UTC-4, Will Bennis, Locus Workspace 
 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 

[Coworking] Re: Coworking in a shopping mall?

[Jeannine]

I think it's wonderful, Will, really wonderful.   Throw away that box for a 
sec, it doesn't have to be just a laptop parking lot.  :-)

In the Netherlands they have Seats2Meet in the train stations, in London 
they have a coworkng space on a bus.  I feel confident that it can be done 
in a mall.  Particularly as you say since the Euro-version of mall and the 
associations with same are not exactly then same as the US vesion.

My experience in building coworking community in nontraditional venues has 
been that you have to start with the location and be true to it in some 
weird, spiritual way.  :-)  As a gut feeling i would go with companies in 
retail/online services and one ring around it as a starter.  

I would look at showrooming and reverse showrooming as well.

But I disagree on one thing:  I think the community aspect is the most 
important; shared space in retail has been quite hot here in the NL but if 
the coworkers lack long term relationships other than with the space 
itself, they die off pretty fast.  

Any help, support, brainstorming, cheerleading you may beed, please please 
do not hesitate to call on me, you know where to find me.  I think it's 
really exciting!

Cheers,

Jeannine

On Wednesday, October 22, 2014 12:15:05 PM UTC+2, Will Bennis, Locus 
Workspace 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
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You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups 
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[Coworking] Re: Coworking in a shopping mall?

[Will Bennis, Locus Workspace]

Thank you, Jeannine! This helps me think about it a lot. And I completely 
agree with you about the importance of community focus. Just not sure if I 
can swing it in that kind of context, which of course can't really be 
answered till I go there and try to figure out a relatively reliable way to 
ask. :)

What do you mean by showrooming and reverse showrooming?

On Thursday, October 23, 2014 12:05:49 PM UTC+2, Jeannine wrote:

 I think it's wonderful, Will, really wonderful.   Throw away that box for 
 a sec, it doesn't have to be just a laptop parking lot.  :-)

 In the Netherlands they have Seats2Meet in the train stations, in London 
 they have a coworkng space on a bus.  I feel confident that it can be done 
 in a mall.  Particularly as you say since the Euro-version of mall and the 
 associations with same are not exactly then same as the US vesion.

 My experience in building coworking community in nontraditional venues has 
 been that you have to start with the location and be true to it in some 
 weird, spiritual way.  :-)  As a gut feeling i would go with companies in 
 retail/online services and one ring around it as a starter.  

 I would look at showrooming and reverse showrooming as well.

 But I disagree on one thing:  I think the community aspect is the most 
 important; shared space in retail has been quite hot here in the NL but if 
 the coworkers lack long term relationships other than with the space 
 itself, they die off pretty fast.  

 Any help, support, brainstorming, cheerleading you may beed, please please 
 do not hesitate to call on me, you know where to find me.  I think it's 
 really exciting!

 Cheers,

 Jeannine

 On Wednesday, October 22, 2014 12:15:05 PM UTC+2, Will Bennis, Locus 
 Workspace 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



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[Coworking] Re: Coworking in a shopping mall?

[Craig Baute - Creative Density Coworking]

I think a mall could be a great space for a coworking community. Yes, it is 
different than many coworking communities today but to many the mall is the 
central part of their city or neighborhood. If you stick to true coworking 
values, as you seem to do at Locus, then this could be a great opportunity 
to try something new. Don't make it sterile, make it fun, make it a 
community, use the open spaces and courtyards as gathering spots.  It will 
be interesting to see the shared spaces of malls to be valued in a 
different way.

In some malls the lease rates are ridiculously cheap and the people are 
very willing to negotiate. Malls like to have about a 3 to 5% vacancy rate 
or turnover in a year to keep things fresh for new stores, but they HATE to 
have anymore than that. That's a huge plus. 

The foot traffic will certainly be a leg up and could be great if you're 
members are looking for exposure. It's also a great way to expand to be a 
community hub for gatherings in the social or business area.

Aaron just mentioned limited access hours and that would be a deal breaker 
so take that into consideration. 

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[Coworking] Re: Coworking in a shopping mall?

[Craig Baute - Creative Density Coworking]

Will this be in Prague?

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[Coworking] Re: Coworking in a shopping mall?

[Will Bennis, Locus Workspace]

Thanks for the reply, Craig. I had the wrong stereotype about mall pricing, 
which is good to hear. I have to spend some time there and in the 
neighborhood just to have a more realistic sense of whether there might be 
some kind of cool community building within the mall. I maybe posted this 
prematurely but figured it wouldn't hurt to get this community's feedback 
from the start. Which turns out to be true since you've all been a great 
help in thinking about this.

I wouldn't say it will be in Prague, though I like the confident future 
tense. :) But it would be in Prague (I'd put the probability at somewhere 
under 10%, though :).

On Wednesday, October 22, 2014 8:30:50 PM UTC+2, Craig Baute - Creative 
Density Coworking wrote:

 Will this be in Prague?


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