I keep seeing people say in various forums that they have applied for a space inside 1871. Clearly, Chicagoans are hungry for co-working space. And likely, 1871 won't be able to hold everyone who has applied.
So, if you are getting antsy waiting for 1871 to finish construction or select applicants, or if you are looking for a slightly different vibe for your full-time or occasional work space, say, one that is more "yoga" and less "extreme sports," maybe you want to check out one of the other co-working spaces in Chicago.
I recently went to visit a new co-working space that has opened in Chicago's West Loop, called Enerspace (pictured above). Enerspace has some great things going for it:
- Free parking around the building at 1046 West Kinzie Street
- Great views of downtown Chicago
- An in-space yoga/workout studio and showers so you can get in some exercise without loosing hours of productivity. Health and wellness are a major part of the Enerspace philosophy
- Beautiful conference rooms that can hold up to 16 with mounted TVs for presentations and video conferencing
- Modern, sleek design.
- It's completely finished and you can move in tomorrow!
Plus all the usual benefits of a co-working space: free coffee, cool people, flexible spaces, printing privileges, etc.
Perhaps the most important benefit of a co-working space like Enerspace: no long-term lease to sign, no furniture to buy, no "lack of credit" deposits due for your utilities service or installation charges for hi-speed internet. (Having just recently unloaded a house in Connecticut that I unwillingly owned since moving to Chicago in 2008, I appreciate more than most the value of liquidity in real estate arrangements.)
I think one-person consulting practices or full-time freelancers who don't enjoy working from their basement might find Enerspace to be a particularly good match, but really teams of any size who need flexibility, liquidity, low start-up costs, and FREE PARKING close to downtown should plan to visit them soon and check it out.
Other co-working spaces in Chicago can be found at the CoWorking wiki. You're sure to find something that meets your needs until that space in 1871 opens up.
P.S. In the coming weeks, keep an eye out for the launch of Panzanzee, which hopes to become the go-to co-working space for social enterprises in Chicago. In the meantime, you can check out their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/Panzanzee
