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    Serendipity Labs Coworking Headed for Downtown & Short North

    New York-based Serendipity Labs is bringing its coworking franchise to Columbus, opting for two locations to introduce their concept to the market. Columbus-based Renascent Hospitality will manage the dueling labs located Downtown in the Fifth Third Building at 21 E. State St., and in the Short North at 900 N. High St., the proposed location of a mixed-use development to replace the UDF.

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    Renascent business partners Trevor Warner and Scott Somerville jumped at what they call two unreplicable locations in the market.

    “We feel like the Downtown location, there is nothing like the second floor of the Fifth Third Building,” Warner says.

    The 14,000 square feet of the former gym boast floor-to-ceiling windows and a prime location next to the Statehouse. The new build of the Short North development at the apex of the neighborhood will offer 22,000 square feet in a four-story building that includes a restaurant tenant and outdoor space on the rooftop.

    While the locations are only a mile and a half apart, each will offer a unique experience – and appeal – for tenants. Somerville expects that Serendipity Labs Downtown will lend itself to a more professional crowd with business related to the Statehouse – lawyers, lobbyists, etc., as well as large law firms and corporate clients. Short North will see some of those same folks, but also likely produce a more entrepreneurial tenant mix with startups to mid-size companies interested in a more eclectic, walkable neighborhood.

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    Serendipity Labs offers three distinct spaces for its tenants: coworking space, offices and small meeting or event space.

    Coworking areas will be outfitted with comfortable, upscale finishes that offer flexible space where workers can purchase access in five or 10 day increments, all the way up to daily use. Private offices are ideal for smaller to mid-market companies not ready to lock in a long-term lease, all the way to Fortune 1000 businesses looking for a new way to work. Multiple sizes will be offered, accommodating a few workers up to a small team.

    Event and meeting space round out Serendipity Labs’ offerings. The State Street location is slated to have one open room that seats 45-60 and two to three other smaller board or meeting rooms. Much activity is expected on the rooftop patio of the Short North spot.

    Renascent says they are still finalizing rates for both locations. Coworking packages might start as low as $49/month depending on the number of days, and price levels will increase with dedicated workstations or offices. The two locations will come online about eight months apart. Downtown first in summer of 2017, with Short North expected to follow in Q1 of 2018.

    Working with a hospitality companies like Renascent is indicative of the kind of environment Serendipity Labs looks to create.

    “They are running the labs with that kind of service,” Warner says.

    The upscale coworking franchise is focused on the hospitality that hoteliers know how to deliver.

    “I started seeing my hospitality trade either magazine or blogs about other hotel management groups that were buying the area rights to develop Serendipity Labs locations,” Somerville says.

    He saw locations popping up in Nashville, Chicago, and finally, with a group he is familiar with in Dallas. After the third city tipped the scales, he started speaking with other associates about why they were investing in Serendipity Labs. Somerville sees it almost as a natural extension of the services they already provide at hotels. Warner says it’s that aspect that sets Serendipity Labs apart from other coworking spaces.

    For updates, visit serendipitylabs.com.

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    Serendipity Labs Stamford

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    Serendipity Labs Bethesda

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    Susan Post
    Susan Post
    Susan is the editor of The Metropreneur and associate editor of Columbus Underground, and also covers small business and entrepreneurial news and the food scene in Central Ohio.Susan holds a degree in Communication with a minor in Professional Writing from The Ohio State University. She sits on the board of the Central Ohio Pro Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists and loves coffee, whiskey, cooking and spending time with friends and family.
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