Here’s a look at more than 25 shared office spaces around the Baltimore area, and how they’re evolving.
Will every neighborhood have a coworking space?
It’s a question we’ve been playfully asking around the newsroom each time a new space opens in Baltimore. It’s a city of neighborhoods, after all, and the calculus of setting up a new space in this city usually involves stimulating growth on the blocks where they’re based.
Along with flexible leases and cheaper rent, coworking spaces employ a uniquely local model: They’re one part workspace, drawing folks in to base a business at the earliest stages of growth and get stuff done outside of a home office. And they’re one part community hub, playing host to entrepreneurial events, bookstores and community meetings that draw beyond their membership.
In Baltimore, it’s been a particularly local enterprise. With only a few exceptions, most coworking spaces in the city were started by folks who call it home.
Yet it’s also worth remembering that coworking is relatively new. Beehive Baltimore launched in 2008, and most of the growth has been in the last five years. We saw more expansion this year to indicate that’s continuing, but that’s coming with new spins on the genre. Some have a particular industry, while others have a specific preference for private offices alongside community space. Going forward, we expect that evolution to continue. As with any new approach, where you start might not be where you end up.
But, as the decade closes, let’s take a look at what Baltimore has to offer. Consider it a snapshot of a moment in flexible space time, and, if you’re looking for a space, an easy way to compare what’s out there.
Click here for the full list.