When I transferred to Bowling Green for the 1983-84 school year, I quickly learned that BG’s Jerome Library was arranged differently. The private study areas on the upper floors had locked doors and were reserved for graduate students. Undergrads were mostly confined to a large area of communal tables on the first floor. This was a very different environment and took some getting used to, but after awhile, I actually came to enjoy seeing the same people on a regular basis and exchanging greetings. In the parlance of 2018, those tables might be considered coworking spaces.
On Wednesday, the Anson County Chamber of Commerce, Uptown Wadesboro and AnsonEDP sponsored the first monthly CoWorking Wednesday at the Chamber’s Burns Conference Room. The idea behind coworking is to set up a space where business people, entrepreneurs and independent contractors can work, have access to the amenities of a larger office and collaborate. CoWorking Wednesdays are held the first Wednesday of the month and provide access to the Chamber’s WiFi, printing, bulk mailing and document handling capabilities, along with free coffee and donuts and the opportunity to interact with others in the business community.
Eventually, it is hoped the private sector will step up and open a permanent coworking space in Uptown Wadesboro, and the Wednesdays are a sort of trial run and proof of interest for potential investors in such an enterprise. The three sponsor organizations were pleased with the turnout, which ranged from two to seven participants at various times of the day, with the average participant staying about 2 hours. Several different sectors and types of businesses were represented; a nonprofit director working on affordable housing; a freelance writer putting the finishing touches on a blog post; a restauranteur placing orders and proofing a new logo; a town employee catching up on paperwork; etc. A range of ages was represented, from the early-30s to well past 50.
Perhaps the most positive aspect of the day, though, was the collaboration. Rather than a handful of individuals simply working on their own projects, there was significant interaction. The restaurant owner printed off some logos she was considering and solicited the opinions of the others at her table. Another participant needed help figuring out how to send a document to the printer and the person next to them immediately demonstrated. Over lunch, AnsonEDP executive director John Marek gave a presentation on the organization’s Bootstrap and Enterprise grant programs, which offer up to $2,500 to startups and $5,000 to existing small businesses in the county who participate in the Rural Center’s Thread Capital program.
While CoWorking Wednesdays are just a first step toward creating the kind of entrepreneurial environment which spurs innovation and collaboration, it is an important step. Places like Wadesboro are fertile ground for business startups of all types, but opportunities are often limited by the scarcity of cost-effective space and support mechanisms. Through CoWorking Wednesdays, the Anson County Chamber of Commerce, Uptown Wadesboro and AnsonEDP hope to demonstrate that a rural coworking space can be a key driver for the future of the county’s economy.
CoWorking Wednesdays are held the first Wednesday of each month from 8:30 A.M. to 4:30 P.M. in the Burns Conference Room at the Anson County Chamber of Commerce. Free coffee, donuts and WiFi, along with 10 free color copies, are provided. Reservations are not required and all business people are welcome. Contact Megan Sellers at 704-475-8461 for more information.
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