Watching the Inauguration at Arbor Brewing Company

Ann Arbor Gathers at Arbor Brewing Company to watch Obama be sworn in.

Demolition; or, Creating Beautiful Spaces from Old Places

The first thing: get rid of seventy years of accumulated layers.  The ceiling tiles must come, Plaster must be chisled off of the walls to expose the brick,  three old floors must be pulled up to expose the original floor.  This is an exercise in discovery.  Will the tin ceiling remain?  Will it be intact?  What condition is the floor in? What will the brick look like after the plaster is removed?

At 118 S. Main St. we discovered that the floor is in remarkably good shape, a rich patina,  few holes or missing sections.  The only thing left of the tin ceiling, unfortunately, is the shadow of what was once there.  And the brick cleaned up well.

Gone are the acoustic ceiling tiles, the white smooth walls, and the green carpet;  what is left feels warm, inviting and comfortable

Most of the work was done at night and during the weekends to minimize the disruption to the neighbors.

Brick before acid wash and power wash

After

118 S. Main St. Ann Arbor, Michigan

Coworking Space in Ann Arbor Michigan

Sign up for Lunch January 27th- Be an Advocate for your Vision What a Coworking Place Looks Like

What:    A free lunch meeting to introduce the new coworking space
Where:    118 S. Main St. in the former Arcadian Too Antiques space
When:    January 27,  2009 12 Noon
What:    Work has begun!  The space is being created.  Come and be an advocate for your vision of what the space looks like, acts like and how it is organized

RSVP in the comment field at;  I need to get a fairly accurate count for the food.

So far the walls have been stripped to brick,  the acoustic ceiling tiles have come down, and the tile and carpeted floor has been pulled up to reveal the original wood floor.  The space looks great!  If things go smoothly (do things ever go smoothly?) the space can be opened to all in March.

Big questions that remain: Please come and give your input.

I would like to share what I am thinking at this point.  I have no set vision of what this space is and how it will work;  I am very open to suggestions (just remember- a lot of the physical design will be driven by the ADA, and the business model by the cost of rent)

Most of these are open questions that I am still working on; here is what I know.

1. What is the cost, and what do you get?  This is a big question that I hope to get good input on Jan 27th-  the bottom line is enough $ must come is to cover expenses and the more service (free coffee, printer/copier, large display screens, meeting rooms, conference call capability, etc) that is provided the more it costs obviously;  I m trying to find out where those lines cross. A cost recovery model. Eventually I need to bring in between 8 and 10k/month
2. Long-term lease or month-to-month? Probably 6 month to 1 year lease for stability purposes
3. Who owns the space? Will we rent from the owner or sublet from you? Ed Shaffron owns the space (He also owns the building that houses The Brickyard) and is on board working with me to create the space and the model.  Coworking tenants would pay me probably via a license agreement (as some yet to be created LLC) and I would pay Ed’s company.
   
4. Can we get mail delivery there? Yes!
   
5. WiFi is the best type of internet access for me. I am in touch with a few providers trying to figure out the best value for the dollar with enough broadband.  I need help with all things technical: website for the space, keyless entry systems?, VOiP, others???
6. How many tenants?  I think that there will be about 30 work spaces available.  The number of members depends on the amount time each member spends in the space.  If people want to stay 40 hrs a week, there would be 30 members at about $300/ month;  if people think that they would only spend about 15 hrs a week there the space can support around 100 rotating users at around $100/month. Somewhere in between?.  As I see it now there would be no designated desking- only storage (file and/or lockers).  This allows for optimization of the space and use .
7. Further. I see the space being used as a social meeting place with space for small (50 people) conferences, training sessions, lyceums, meet-ups, etc This is my vision,  I am not sure that others share this vision.  I will create what the market demands.  So please show up on Jan 27 and be an advocate for the vision that works best for you!
8. Other open issues (Are there any experts on any of these issues out there?):  Entry system- optical scanner?, An anchor tenant- a coffee place in the front or maybe a small tech firm with just a few employees to act as gate keepers?, a name for the place,  a theme for layout and furniture,  furniture in general