When we had the idea of opening a coworking space in Southwest Michigan, we did not anticipate the launch to happen during a global pandemic. But, now more than ever, having a great designated space for remote working was exactly what our area needed! We took advantage of the “setbacks” from COVID-19 to take our time, refine the layout of each work area, and implement safety improvements throughout the space. While putting the finishing design touches on ThinkBar, we were able to focus on the small things that would help improve our guests’ overall health & safety. Electronic auto-open trash can lids, touch-free door levers vs. knobs, increasing our daily cleaning schedule along with easy to clean surfaces were added to the space.
We were able to put more thought into how we wanted to use the space as owners and wondered how we could capitalize on that for our members. Lynzee & Kayla run a marketing/content creation business and are constantly in need of a collaborative, CREATIVE space, so we made sure creative resources such as tripods, backdrops, and studio lights were available as a shared coworking resource. Suzanne, co-founder of ThinkBar, is a work-from-home mother of two boys (and a new puppy). With e-learning, working from her ‘home’ office just wasn’t cutting it anymore. We wanted to create an inspiring space where other working moms, who are now juggling a few (A LOT) more things than before, could go to find a sense of productivity and accomplishment. For Suzanne, ThinkBar gave her a productive place to work during in-person school days to balance the days she’s working from home and e-learning with the boys (+ training said new puppy).
Post-pandemic, we hope our guests find that working from ThinkBar, instead of their “home office,” is the option they’ve been longing for. And the perks of access to printing, free coffee and snacks, and the ability to network with other local business professionals doesn’t hurt either.
