Boutique Apartments has invested $2.5 million to develop a 16,000-square-foot co-working space in the Alamo Placita neighborhood.
The project at 383 Corona St. -- dubbed
Shift Workspaces -- includes 70 co-working spaces, 12 desks and 34 private offices.
Initially, Boutique wanted to develop a property for its own offices, says Grant Barnhill, the company’s chief executive. Boutique employees had been crammed into three one-bedroom units in one of the company’s Metropolis building.
“We asked the team what the ideal office looked like and then started researching companies like Google and Zappos,” Barnill says. “We found people wanted a wide variety of work spaces.”
Ultimately, Boutique determined that developing the space for independent professionals and entrepreneurs made sense.
About 75 percent of Shift’s members are millennials. Although they may work for competing businesses, the environment is one of collaboration.
“This generation is moving away from a competitive work environment to a cooperative and collaborative culture,” Barnhill says. “There are the usual referrals, but the next level is sharing business secrets.”
Shift members have access to conference rooms, a lounge, courtyard and kitchen. Shift also features a yoga studio and workout and wellness rooms.
Memberships range from $20 for a day pass to $729 a month for a private office. Shift offers discounts to members who live in the neighborhood. It also has “green” pricing for members who bike or take public transportation to work.
Shift also is available to be leased for event space.
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