Old wood floors, exposed brick and a flood of natural light define the fourth floor of 40 W. Gay St., the home of recently opened coworking space Yardstick Studios. It’s just a quick jaunt down the street from the developing Club Level Coworking from E.V. Bishoff. The two bring some of the first of the increasingly sought-after coworking space to Downtown, and with it, variety.
Yardstick Studios is a collaboration between Sara Shikhman who owns the building with husband Dr. Justin Harper of Juvly Aesthetics (that occupies the first floor), and the team from Little City Love.
“The idea for starting the space came from being a small business owner myself and having worked in a lot of the coworking spaces in town and in New York, and wanting a place that really has a lot of community and is for people who are actually very serious about work and launching their business, launching their brand,”Shikhman says.
Little City Love went from early tenant of the building to harnessing the power of their entrepreneurial network to work with Shikhman on the space.
Clay Fuller, one half of Little City Love, describes the space as an edgier, no-frills spot. He says that while some spaces are delving more into the coworking lifestyle, the studio is there for the entrepreneur that’s ready to get down to work. It might not be for the lawyer looking for a more sophisticated space and a waiting room, but appeals to the younger, ambitious, run my business from my laptop crowd.
For example, “This is a great place for people to come to after all the hack events that happen here in Columbus when they are ready to continue beyond those weekends,” Fuller says.
Yardstick keeps the plans and the space simple. A ‘Commons Membership’ at $90 per month provides a seat at any open desk, 24/7 access, high-speed internet, use of the kitchen and access to the in-the-works conference room. A ‘Dedicated Desk’ membership at $150 per month comes with the same perks, only swapping the whatever desk is open for one to call your own and a mailing address.
Memberships roll on a month-to-month basis for the space that currently has room for about 20 desks. The lean structure allows Yardstick to process tenants quickly. Shikhman says that if a tenant is interested in the space, they could check it out one day and potentially be ready to work the next.
Yardstick Studios has been open for about a month, taking on a few tenants. In true startup fashion things moved quickly, with the team showing the space before everything was in place – meaning more updates are coming. In addition to a polished conference room, the floor will also eventually see individual offices.
The coworking space and first-floor spa are giving the long-vacant building purpose – which is exactly what Harper and Shikhman intended. The couple made the move from Upper Arlington to Downtown to be a part of the growing revitalization of the area. They chose a building with history, too. It was once owned by Larry Flynt and served as the headquarters for Hustler magazine, but now is on a block surrounded by new businesses and numerous development projects.
For more information, visit yardstickstudios.com.
