I was so excited to attend the grand opening of Chehalis Coworks a couple of weeks ago but, of course, the snow had other plans, so unfortunately I missed the event. Fortunately, though, I happen to know the Port of Chehalis CEO Randy Mueller, who was a driving force behind the Chehalis Coworks project, and I requested a tour.
“The new space is the result of a partnership between the Port of Chehalis and the Chehalis Community Renaissance Team (CCRT),” according to reporting in The Chronicle by Katie Hayes. “Workspaces at Chehalis CoWorks can be rented by the day, week or month. The space is geared toward mobile workers, entrepreneurs, freelancers and others who only need a part-time workspace.”
I met Randy on Thursday at Chehalis Coworks in downtown Chehalis, just up a few doors from Market Street Bakery. The first thing I learned about Chehalis Coworks was its security. I assumed I’d be able to just walk in the door, but it was locked with a keypad. As I frowned through the window, Mitch Moberg, owner of Twin Cities Trading Post, let me in.
Randy explained that Mitch was one of the first Chehalis Coworks members and an active utilizer of the space. Mitch then demonstrated the app Coworks members could use that would allow them front door access to the space. Very slick.
Once you walk in the front door, you’re in the main “coworking” space. There are 12 work stations in banks of three — one side separated by a coffee bar with six on each side — and two of the work stations were furnished with HP Chromebooks, ready-to-go.
The main space is accented with thoughtful items — a bulletin board above each workspace, small potted plants at each station with a tag that could save your spot, in case you need to step away from the moment, and modern accents that update and refresh the retro space.
Adjacent to the main coworking space, there is a doorway that leads to both a small, furnished break room and an ample conference room space, complete with all the electronics pairing and syncing technology you could want for media presentations. Toward the back of the main coworking space, there is an old vault that had been converted into a room with a copier / printer, books and various office supplies.
Toward the very back of the space, there is a small kitchen area, perfect for quick at-the-office meals, and a roomy bathroom space complete with a shower! Randy explained that this was specifically designed with bicycle commuters, and the like, in mind.
From the kitchen, a small staircase leads out to the back of Chehalis Coworks to a small courtyard between the back of the building and the parking lot. Randy explained that there are plans in the works to create a small recreation space in the courtyard, even entertaining ideas such as a picnic table, small fire pit and a barbecue (which was donated as a “housewarming gift” a week or two prior).
As I walked back through the space, the word that kept coming through my mind was how “thoughtful” everything about the space was. Randy had even gone so far as to update the building’s intercom system so that it was Bluetooth-compatible and smartphone-friendly.
I also found myself wishing, as a previous self-employed business owner, that a space like Chehalis Coworks had existed a few years ago, while I was still in business for myself. I worked out of my house as a web developer and marketing / branding professional — and finding space to host professional meetings was difficult. How wonderful it would have been to have a space like Chehalis Coworks, where I could have rented desk space, or even just the conference room for an important meeting or presentation.
It’s such a unique partnership that I personally am so excited to see here in the Chehalis area. The Port of Chehalis owns and maintains the building and the Chehalis Community Renaissance Team handles the day-to-day operations. Currently, there is even a part-time staff member employed on-site at the Coworks to make sure things are running smoothly.
To see something so progressive, like Chehalis Coworks, in a downtown building that is more than 100 years old, is pretty incredible. The Port of Chehalis was incredibly forward-thinking to use distressed counties funding to beautify a downtown space, making it functional for a new and wider audience.
They say that “innovation happens at the intersections” — and seeing an industrial economic body like the Port of Chehalis come together with a tourism and promotion group like the Chehalis Community Renaissance Team certainly fits that bill.
When a self-employed business owner is just starting out, trying to build a new business, they often need a place to land. And, if they land here in Chehalis, and build connections here through the Chehalis Coworking space, CCRT, the Centralia-Chehalis Chamber of Commerce, Young Professionals of Lewis County and the like — one would think that Chehalis would stand a good chance for a growing business to set up shop.
Chehalis Coworks has the huge and likely potential of becoming a small business incubator. Other local organizations would be wise to be aware of that potential, to encourage and facilitate the Coworks’ endeavors, and capitalize on those coming through its doors.
Congratulations to all involved with the project — to Randy of the Port for championing and advocating so strongly for this project, to Annalee Tobey for heading up the crafting of the enchanting feel and decor of the space, and to both the Port of Chehalis and the CCRT for identifying this need in our business community.
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Brittany Voie is a columnist for The Chronicle.
