Marty Gordon
NRVsports@mainstreetnewspapers.com
A new co-working facility is now open in Christiansburg and can provide shared work spaces ranging from a simple desk to a private office.
Users will find high speed Wi-Fi, copy machines and flex seating. Rachel Coleman has opened Skyward Studios in downtown Christiansburg.
Skyward is located in a former residential area, originally used by an adjacent restaurant for employees. The entrance is located to the rear of the building at 37 West Main St., Suite B.
Coleman was working from home with a desk under a loft bed when she decided it was time to move into a designated office space. But like many others, she couldn’t afford an office suite. Thus, she started the co-working, shared area.
She had initially won an entrepreneurial financial award through Launch Christiansburg, which provided seed monies for the Skyward project.
So far, all six private offices have been rented, and the response has been good to the shared work areas.
Co-working spaces are experiencing significant, rapid growth from being a niche concept to now a mainstream, global phenomenon. Recent numbers show the market is projected to reach over $36 billion by the Year 2030, driven by flexibility, cost-effectiveness and hybrid work models.
Earlier this year, business reports had co-working locations reaching nearly 8,900. While originally, this type of model was popular with freelancers, but now almost half of the users are small-to-medium businesses and startup companies.
Modern spaces, like Skyward, are evolving into not just desks, but specialized service, community events and flexible infrastructure.
Coleman plans to hold “Lunch and Learns” on Tuesdays to help small business owners, and “Third Place Thursdays” when anyone can use the shared space free of charge from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
“There are so many entrepreneurs in this area, and this might be the next avenue to help them,” Coleman said.
The industry continues, according to Business.com, to strive and is projecting 10 percent growth rate through 2028.
U.S. Chamber of Commerce says the idea dates back to 1995 in Berlin when it was called “hackerspace”, growing in the early 2000s and accelerated in the aftermath of COVID-19.
The chamber of commerce points to several benefits of “co-working” including flexibility where office space is shared by many people. There is also the ability to mingle and share ideas with fellow workers in and around the office space.
Skyward offers a shared-use kitchen with free coffee and snacks.
Skyward users can purchase a flex space day pass for $15, studio office day pass $30, and a flex space 10-day pack for $100.
Meeting and event space is also available for $50 per hour or $350 for a day in an area that seats up to 40 people.
For more information on Skyward Studios, call 826-202-4065.
A similar facility is also now being planned for downtown Blacksburg. The former Cook’s Cleaners site at 414 North Main will become a retail incubator and open this fall.
The Local @414 is a new retail incubator and community hub created through a partnership between the Town of Blacksburg and Downtown Blacksburg Inc. (DBI).
The facility is designed to support emerging small businesses while enriching the downtown experience. The site will provide affordable storefront space and hands-on business support and offer: affordable retail storefront space for new and growing businesses; tailored technical assistance and access to business resources; and ongoing mentorship and marketing support to help entrepreneurs launch and scale successfully.
In addition, the space is envisioned to include: a café, flexible event and meeting space and a visitor information hub. The plan is also to include community programming to help local businesses. The first is scheduled for April 1 and then April 8, 15 and 22, 6-8 p.m.
The free business planning workshop will be an interactive series, which walks entrepreneurs step-by-step through building a strong, sustainable business. Participants will develop a clear vision and mission, conduct market and competitor research, define their value proposition and business model, outline marketing and operations strategies, and build foundational financial projections — all culminating in a draft business plan and pitch-ready presentation.
For more information on The Local@414, checkout downtownblacksburg.com/414.
