COhatch has done it again. The coworking company opened the doors last week to its sixth Central Ohio location, COhatch The Square, at 4182 Worth Ave. at the Easton Gateway.
It’s the coworking company’s first in-line retail refurbishment, taking over 5,000 square feet that used to be a Charming Charlie. On the smaller side for a COhatch location, the company built a 3,500 square foot second floor to create additional space.
In addition to COhatch’s traditional amenities – private offices, open coworking spaces, conference rooms, free-flowing coffee, etc. – The Square has a few unique features. The space includes the company’s first podcast room among its Central Ohio locations, an amenity that will be a part of future spots, like Dublin.
The ultimate work break, the building’s height allowed for a rock climbing wall. The open vertical space also gave room for a gravity-defying seating feature – a curved, hammock-like net suspended from the ceiling.
For this location, Founder & CEO Matt Davis also says they wanted to add a few larger off-site meeting spaces. As more companies start to bring workers back post coronavirus lockdown, Davis says they are seeing more demand for spaces where teams can get together.
These teams will be greeted by a dose of nostalgia with conferences rooms themed around the decades 80s, 90s, etc. – and will thereby never go out of style.
Although design and construction began before the pandemic, Davis says, “We were 95% COVID ready before COVID.”
Not only are there private offices, but space for coworkers to spread out. Davis points out that workers not in an office can choose where they sit, keeping distance from other members. There are also meeting rooms and phone booths if folks don’t feel comfortable in an open environment. It’s not like a traditional office where cubes upon cubes are clustered together and employees have to sit in designated locations.
As where and how people work continues to evolve in the face of the pandemic, Davis believes the demand for coworking will remain strong. As things return to more “normal,” “The hybrid option is the only real answer,” Davis says.
While people may be working from home at least part of the time, every home situation is different. Coworking provides a flexible, affordable option for those that find at-home doesn’t suit their work style.
Davis also predicts large companies shedding larger, fixed-cost offices and opting for smaller, more flexible office footprints – coworking’s sweet spot.
He says they wouldn’t be eyeing more locations if they didn’t think the demand for coworking would continue to be there. More locations also means more room for members to spread out.
COhatch will continue to plant its flag in more suburban neighborhoods, like Powell, Hilliard, Pickerington and Gahanna. Davis says once they build a healthy network where many people live, then they’ll look to add a location Downtown – probably around 2022.
COhatch currently operates offices in Delaware, Polaris, Upper Arlington and Worthington (two locations), with OSU and Dublin under construction.
For more information, visit cohatch.com.