WorkMode To Bring Co-Working Space And Coffee Shop To Bel Air

BEL AIR, MD — A new space for co-working will be opening on Main Street in 2020. Plans call for a multipurpose location where people can conduct their business and get coffee.

The community for co-working — called WorkMode — will be ideal for freelancers, students, startup businesses and entrepreneurs, according to its creators.

On the bottom floor will be a meeting space or conference room with seating for up to 160 people.

The other two floors will contain areas for co-working, according to General Manager Lindsay Creed. Offices large and small, phone booths for private conversations, printers, scanners, wi-fi, desks and skylights are part of the plans.

First, the walls were taken out at the building to allow for the inside to be completely redone. Now that those are out of the way, the designer stopped by Thursday, Oct. 10, to take measurements for a virtual blueprint of the space, Creed told Bel Air Patch Thursday afternoon.

Spartan Surfaces owner Kevin Jablon came up with the idea of WorkMode, she said. He purchased the building in August, but not for his flooring business, which is in the former Aegis building on South Hays Street.

"He’s an entrepreneur himself," Creed said. "He wanted to give a platform for entrepreneurs to start a business at an affordable cost. We live in a world of entrepreneurs and 'Shark Tank' and remote workers, and it's hard to work from home — you have laundry, you have cleaning, you have kids," said Creed, who is also a mother. "It's busy, and there are distractions."

The concept for WorkMode is to take those elements out of the picture.

"We have a lot of remote workers that just need a day to get out of the house," said Creed. "I have three kids. I totally understand. I have availability to work from home but I still come to the Spartan office so I can work because it's hard to be productive if you're not in 'work mode.'"

She added: "We want somewhere people can go and get focused and get work done in an environment that’s inspiring and full of other people to network with."

Located between the Urban Pearl and Harford County Health Department, WorkMode will be housed in a three-story brick building with a coffee shop.

Steppingstone For Startups

One reason Jablon wanted to create WorkMode was to provide a "steppingstone" for people who may be just starting out, she said.

"Not everyone has the means to just start their business, and he wanted to be that platform to help start their dream," Creed told Patch.

"I think he really loved the fact of being on Main Street," she said. "Bel Air to me is booming more than it has. It’s becoming bigger than it has been," said Creed, a lifelong resident. "We have a lot of great ideas and people and young businesses or even business that are already established but want to be among other people to network with on a regular basis."

She said Jablon "researched and talked to people and realized there is a need for it here."

Given the proximity to the courthouse, she suggested lawyers commuting from Towson or Baltimore offices may want to meet with their clients at WorkMode before appearing in court.

So far, digital marketing experts, real estate agents, software professionals, insurance agencies and massage therapists have inquired about WorkMode, and nonprofits have reached out about using the conference room.

The Bel Air Downtown Alliance will move into the building too.

"We’ve had a lot of questions and a lot of interest," Creed said.

CoffeeBar Will Be Separate, Plans Still Developing

The coffee shop in the building will be called CoffeeBar. Like its name, the business will be simple and straightforward.

"We're not going to have fancy coffee drinks," Creed said.

Grab-and-go options like breakfast bars could be part of the offerings, but she said the concept is still under development, and the idea was not to compete with Main Street businesses. There is time to figure it out; WorkMode and Coffee Bar will not open until at least spring 2020.

"They are going to be separate but under the same umbrella," she said. "To get to the Coffee Bar, you have to go into the main entrance at WorkMode. We’re trying to bring people into our building to get to it."

WorkMode will be a space for members, but the fee structure has not been established yet. There will also be one-time passes and possibly other options like trial memberships.

WorkMode is at 5 North Main Street in Bel Air. It will open in 2020, Creed said, likely sometime between April and August.