While working from home has its perks like less driving and a decreased cost of child care for some families, it also has its cons. There may be distractions such as children, pets, or the temptation to visit the fridge. Some people also find working from home less productive.
What if there was a place where you rent an office for a few hours at a time?
She and her team are planning to revamp the building at 4900 Lake Shore Road to include conference rooms, open space for working, a sound-proof studio, and other rooms intended to supply office and meeting space.
Domon equates the coworking space to a gym membership.
“About 10 percent of your members are usually in a space,” she said. “Even if we had 100 or 200 members, we could easily accommodate 10 to 20 people. People keep thinking there would be 100 people in here at a time, that wouldn’t be the case, especially with the increase of corporate workers who are maybe working two days in the office and three days to do what they wish, whether they work at the coworking space or in the office. People are pretty scattered about.”
Domon believes their location in Hamburg is a good one because it is next to a hair salon, pizza shop, and a bar. In the back of their location is a yard with a view of Lake Erie. They are also planning a partnership with a local coffee shop to enhance the work experience.
“You can take those little increments in your workday that in other studies have proven to be more productive,” she said.
Could coworking spaces become a trend in the future for suburban communities?
“I think I’m a part of that trend,” she said. “There is a coworking space in Springville founded a little over a year ago called UNOVA. They’ve done a great job at creating a community in Springville. That’s about as rural as it gets. Why aren’t other suburban places like Hamburg, Orchard Park, and East Aurora (doing this)? It’s definitely not a model that is only built for a large city like Buffalo.”
Additional details about Convergence Coworking should come out in the coming weeks. Anyone seeking a virtual membership can request an application by reaching out on Facebook or Instagram.