New Coworking Space For Writers & Other Creatives Opens In Fairfield

FAIRFIELD, CT — Writers, journalists, public relations workers, marketers and other creatives have a new spot in Fairfield for remote work.

Fairfield County Story Lab, which held its grand opening this week, is a coworking space in the Sportsplex development off Mill Plain Road, founded by a journalist.

Carol Dannhauser, who also teaches writing, and whose work has appeared in the New York Daily News among other publications, started the story lab in 2019 in Westport.

"We were open for a year before COVID struck in 2020, which shut us down," Dannhauser told Patch. "We reopened the physical space in the fall of 2021. In the meantime, we ran many free virtual events for writers, to keep the community connected during COVID."

It took best-selling local author Jane Green to help bring members back in 2021.

"She emailed me and asked if the space had reopened yet, and I told her it had not, as so many people were still afraid to gather due to COVID," Dannhauser said. "She helped allay my fears, and said she was happy to be the first person to bring us back. So she signed up, spread her generous and respected word and, one by one, people returned."

Fast-forward to 2023, and with changes afoot in Saugatuck, where the lab was located, with the planned urban transformation along the river, Dannhauser decided to move the lab to Fairfield.

Enter Mark Barnhart, director of Fairfield's Community and Economic Development office, who offered Dannhauser advice on the move.

"In addition to helping me understand what spaces were available and how to reach the landlords, he helped me in many intangible ways," Dannhauser said. "He listened to me fret over costs, he paid attention to my wish list of needs (near the train station, free parking, vibrant neighborhood unique to writers' needs and wants), etc., and helped me think through where my business could thrive. He also validated my belief that having a place in Fairfield where creatives could meet and work and exchange ideas could be a wonderful resource to the community."

The lab features desks, private rooms and comfy furniture for working, and offers various memberships that range in price from $20 for two hours to $295 per month for full access. It is open every day from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m., with members receiving a door code to gain entry.

Currently, it has 40 members, and on any given day, about a half-dozen or so work from the space. In addition to Wi-Fi, coffee and tea are also provided with membership.

"We also are the home of the Fairfield County Writers' Studio, which offers classes here during the week," Dannhauser said. "So that tends to add people who are not members."

Among the creatives who work out of the lab are screenwriters, playwrights, songwriters and others, according to Dannhauser, and they appreciate the camaraderie of working in a collaborative space.

"I began freelancing in 1991, after working in newsrooms," Dannhauser said. "And I discovered that I really missed the buzz of a newsroom."

She continued, "Many of us work in our insular bubbles, 'Zooming' in and out of meetings. How wonderful it would be, I posited, if we had a place where people came together to lift each other up, as it were."

For more information on Fairfield County Story Lab, click here.