We often see people in local coffee shops with their laptops open and some papers on the table in front of them, enjoying a coffee while they work remotely. There’s a new option for remote workers in Meaford with the recent launch of the ‘Coworking Corner’, located in the SCP Centre at 278 Cook Street (Unit 20).
Lisa Scott of SCP Properties told The Independent that they saw a need for co-working space in Meaford, and they have space in their building that would suit the purpose.
“With so many people working from home and coffee shops and more businesses moving to the Georgian Bay area, we saw a need for a coworking space and have a perfect setting for it in the former Amerock office building on the site of the SCP Centre. A coworking space is a shared, communal office environment for professionals and companies,” Scott told The Independent. “The building is bright and spacious and underwent an extensive renovation to a section of it to become a modern coworking space. The larger SCP Centre on the site rents commercial, manufacturing, and retail space and we’ve had many potential clients come through and ask for smaller spaces than we aren’t able to offer. We started the Coworking Corner to serve them with flexible or dedicated desks, private offices, board and meeting rooms, and a collaborative working space using a membership model.”
Meaford is the second location for a Coworking Corner facility, with the first having been established in the Collingwood Foundry building.
“The Collingwood Foundry has been in operation for over a decade in a prime location in downtown Collingwood. Founder Brandan Houston has partnered with us and been a mentor for how to offer a coworking space in Meaford. The Collingwood Foundry is a thriving hub with a strong membership. They focus on building community and connection to support the growth of their members’ businesses,” Scott explained.
The new facility is aimed at serving local entrepreneurs and professionals who work outside of a traditional office structure.
“Our target market is entrepreneurs and professionals who work where and when they need to be, while staying plugged into their community. We foresee the development of a community of people fostering connections and growing their businesses, whether it’s through access to work space, meeting space, mentorship, networking or programming,” said Scott. “No person truly works alone – relationships in businesses matter. We also offer a Teams membership for local businesses to share memberships across their employees. We think many businesses would benefit from having a shared space to offer their employees a flexible workplace, while keeping costs down on their own bricks and mortar locations. We know employees are looking for flexible work-spaces these days.”
Space is available through a membership with the facility.
“We offer flexible memberships, from daily drop in rates to full monthly rentals, in our bright, spacious building with amenities you can’t get at home. We have a boardroom and meeting room, kitchen and espresso maker, fibre optic wifi and 24-hour member access. We have plenty of parking and are in a central location at the corner of Lombard and Cook Streets,” Scott noted. “Our boardroom and meeting rooms are ready to accommodate bookings. One of the benefits of a coworking space is the potential for collaboration with other entrepreneurs and professionals through our member network, networking events, and social events. Our goal is to create a feeling of community and support that feels comfortable and friendly when you walk in that door. We also plan to offer member perks such as discounted rates and benefits with local businesses.”
Scott said that there has been plenty of interest in their new coworking office space.
“We have had lots of interest from the community, and are working through the kinks with our first members. Much like the new Meaford Athletic Club we have co-working Ambassadors working in our site,” said Scott. “Meaford is a small market, but it has grown and matured tremendously from when we first moved to town in the early 1980s. We believe Meaford is ready for the Coworking concept and once people come through those doors, they will love what we have to offer. You can book tours straight from the website, and we are offering free day passes before New Years to try out the Coworking Corner for a day.”
For information about the Coworking Corner, visit: https://www.coworkingcorner.ca/
