Work Spot Offers Alternative to Working From Home

Working from home can be distracting with housework, children and pets demanding attention. Getting caught between the office and appointments and the need to check e-mails or draft a report can be inconvenient. And trying to work at a coffee shop where loud music and noisy crowds interrupt your concentration can be annoying.

The recently opened Work Spot in downtown Duluth offers an affordable alternative to working from home or away from the office. A co-working environment, the Work Spot provides 24/7 work space with secure Wi-Fi and amenities that include a lounge with a comfy couch and chairs, conference and meeting rooms, a 42-inch monitor, a printer/FAX machine, wall-size dry erase boards, storage, a kitchen, eating areas, restrooms, and plenty of free coffee.

Open table work space and dedicated desks both are available. The atmosphere is conducive to working independently or collaborating with others. Décor is contemporary. A couple of bright orange oversize bean bags chairs provide places to relax during breaks. Multiple plugs for computers and other equipment line the walls and drop down from overhead reels in the center of the work space.

“The Work Spot is an alternative to the traditional or virtual office,” said owner Rayann Larsen. “We provide small businesses, entrepreneurs, freelancers and other professionals with an open office, low overhead, the ability to expand or scale back office space as needed, all with unlimited networking opportunities.” With 2,800 square feet of space, the Work Spot can also be configured to accommodate large meetings and special events, she said. 

Larsen hosted an open house Feb. 25 to introduce the Duluth community to the co-working environment. The Work Spot is located at 3150 Main St. in Suite 103 of the Mathias Building across from the Town Green. Larsen, a Johns Creek resident, had been looking at other communities in which to locate her business when she and some friends decided to visit Duluth after dining in Norcross. “When I drove down Main Street, I instantly fell in love with Duluth,” she said.

Regular Work Spot hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., but members are given key cards so they can work at all hours, Larsen said. Monthly memberships are available as well as day and hourly user rates. Open desk space is available from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. for $20 a day. For $95 a month, members can use the open work space three days a week with 24/7 access and utilize meeting rooms four hours a month. By paying a $300 monthly fee, members have unlimited 24/7 access, a dedicated desk, unlimited use of meeting rooms as available and storage space.

Members can rent a conference room for $25 an hour or $200 a day or a meeting room for $20 an hour or $150 a day. Non-member rates are $50 an hour/$250 a day for a conference room and $40 an hour/$200 a day for a meeting room. Some additional fees apply for non-members.

The spacious facility can accommodate 20 to 30 workers comfortably at a time, Larsen said. Her goal is 50 members using the work space at different times. The Work Spot opened in late January and already has six regular members. Mark Anthony and Bob Sawyer were the Work Spot’s first members. They run Green Dog Interactive, their Duluth-based web design and IT services company, from the Work Spot full time. 

"When we were starting up our business last summer, we looked all over and there was nothing like this," said Anthony. "We worked from home with frequent meetings and long work sessions in local coffee shops,” Sawyer said. “We eventually ended up sub-letting and sharing a single office from a downtown business that was interested in incubating us.”

“We used to think working from home was the thing to do,” Anthony said, “but as a two- person startup, we really wanted a place to work together and collaborate. Then in stepped the Work Spot. We're very excited about being a part of this new way of working and continuing to enjoy downtown Duluth. I think there is a huge value to being around other entrepreneurs, professionals, creatives, and small business folks,” he said.