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A Peoria-based co-working company, which offers workspace at a fraction of the cost of most offices, will soon open a new location in Washington.
The concept of WORKflow, which has two locations in Peoria, is one that literally hits close to home for owner John Searby.
Two years ago, Searby was struggling to stay focused on his job while working from home.
“I’ve got two young children and it was just madness,” Searby said. “I was working in the basement and I’d hear 5-year-old footsteps running around upstairs. It was really hard to get work done.”
The arrangement, he added, allowed for no work and home separation.
“I just had to find something different,” he said.
A college friend told him about the co-working space she opened in Tennessee.
The concept offers an affordable out-of-the-home workspace for freelancers, people starting their own business and those who need extra office space at an affordable cost.
Searby said he liked the idea. He quickly followed suit, opening WORKflow on Jefferson and Spalding in downtown Peoria in April 2010. The success of the co-working space prompted Searby to open a second Peoria location on Adams Street about a month ago.
With two downtown Peoria locations, Searby said heading across the river was the next step. WORKflow Washington, located on the Square at 112 N. Main St., is expected to open May 1.
Ideally, Searby said he would like to have six to eight part-time members and five or six active members working in the unique second-floor location with exposed brick walls and an industrial feel.
Three bar-top tables centered under power drops at $100 per month serve as the workspace for part-time members, while cubicles offer active members a more permanent space at $150 per month. Searby said comparable office space in the area could run $500 or $600 a month.
Membership includes the workspace, utilities, Wi-Fi, use of the conference room, coffee and water service.
An added benefit of the multiple locations, Searby said, is the “network of spaces” it creates.
“People who join WORKflow Washington will be able to use either one of the Peoria locations to meet clients, to do presentations, and vice versa,” he said. “There are people who are living and working in Washington who have business in Peoria, but they don’t need to drive there everyday. So for them to be able to say, ‘Well, I can go use the conference room at WORKflow Peoria,’ that’s a huge advantage. And it’s all part of their monthly expense.”
The Peoria locations, he said, have even become a place for creative businesses to do business together.
“They’re all under one roof together and so they help each other and they share business; they hand it off,” Searby said. “It’s really become a community. That’s what we’re looking to establish here in Washington.”
For more information, visit workflowpeoria.com.
A Peoria-based co-working company, which offers workspace at a fraction of the cost of most offices, will soon open a new location in Washington.
The concept of WORKflow, which has two locations in Peoria, is one that literally hits close to home for owner John Searby.
Two years ago, Searby was struggling to stay focused on his job while working from home.
“I’ve got two young children and it was just madness,” Searby said. “I was working in the basement and I’d hear 5-year-old footsteps running around upstairs. It was really hard to get work done.”
The arrangement, he added, allowed for no work and home separation.
“I just had to find something different,” he said.
A college friend told him about the co-working space she opened in Tennessee.
The concept offers an affordable out-of-the-home workspace for freelancers, people starting their own business and those who need extra office space at an affordable cost.
Searby said he liked the idea. He quickly followed suit, opening WORKflow on Jefferson and Spalding in downtown Peoria in April 2010. The success of the co-working space prompted Searby to open a second Peoria location on Adams Street about a month ago.
With two downtown Peoria locations, Searby said heading across the river was the next step. WORKflow Washington, located on the Square at 112 N. Main St., is expected to open May 1.
Ideally, Searby said he would like to have six to eight part-time members and five or six active members working in the unique second-floor location with exposed brick walls and an industrial feel.
Three bar-top tables centered under power drops at $100 per month serve as the workspace for part-time members, while cubicles offer active members a more permanent space at $150 per month. Searby said comparable office space in the area could run $500 or $600 a month.
Membership includes the workspace, utilities, Wi-Fi, use of the conference room, coffee and water service.
An added benefit of the multiple locations, Searby said, is the “network of spaces” it creates.
“People who join WORKflow Washington will be able to use either one of the Peoria locations to meet clients, to do presentations, and vice versa,” he said. “There are people who are living and working in Washington who have business in Peoria, but they don’t need to drive there everyday. So for them to be able to say, ‘Well, I can go use the conference room at WORKflow Peoria,’ that’s a huge advantage. And it’s all part of their monthly expense.”
The Peoria locations, he said, have even become a place for creative businesses to do business together.
“They’re all under one roof together and so they help each other and they share business; they hand it off,” Searby said. “It’s really become a community. That’s what we’re looking to establish here in Washington.”
For more information, visit workflowpeoria.com.
