The grand opening of South Haven's first co-working space was delayed a few months because of COVID-19, but it is now up and running.
ThinkBar LLC occupies 2,000 square feet on the top floor of a historic building on Phoenix Street, South Haven's main downtown drag. The two-story building, which just celebrated its 100th birthday, originally was home to the Tri-County Telephone Co., and later a retail store called Biddy Murphy that sold Irish-related souvenirs and knick-knacks to the tourists who flock to town during summer months.
South Haven-based NL & JM Holdings LLC bought the building in 2018. The ground floor was occupied by an accounting firm, which is still there. The top floor was vacant.
"NL & JM" stands for the first names of the holding company's co-founders, Nick Loafman and Jay Marcoux. Loafman's wife, Suzanne Sutherland Loafman, Lynzee Krohne and Kayla Weich run the ThinkBar, which was, after a complete renovation, scheduled to open in April before COVID delayed it.
Loafman is a public relations and marketing specialist who was working as a freelancer out of her home before COVID. Krohne and Weich are founders of an online marketing firm, Leo & Laine, that they ran out of their homes. Weich will manage the co-working space day-to-day, with the other two actively involved.
"We moved here from Chicago in 2012, and as I got to know the people of South Haven, I saw the need for a co-working space," said Loafman. "There are a lot of people here who work remotely for companies in Chicago and Detroit, and while they work out of their homes, there is a need sometimes to have a more formal work setting and access to office equipment."
She said that is especially true in summer months, when families retreat to their vacation homes or summer rentals and people might need a place to work away from kids, dogs or noisy neighbors. They missed this past summer season and are counting on being ready for a big season next summer.
Loafman said the delay in opening until September actually helped. "It bought us time to rethink the space, to arrange it better," she said.
As is standard with co-working spaces, there are a wide range of pricing options and access to Wi-Fi, private and semiprivate work areas, printers, scanners and faxes, video conferencing and private conference rooms.
Costs range from $25 for a day pass and a seat at a communal table to a private office for $25 an hour. A private conference room for five costs $50 an hour or $300 a day.
Loafman said the space is run following CDC guidelines for COVID safety, with work stations at least 6 feet apart, a strict cleaning protocol and masks required in communal areas.
Because ThinkBar is run by three marketing and PR professionals, Loafman said tenants will be offered small-business marketing seminars and given lessons in how to manage Google Analytics and market themselves across social-media platforms.
The owners also have installed a small studio to allow tenants to do photo shoots.
For more information, go to thinkbarcoworking.com.
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December 06, 2020 at 12:08PM
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South Haven co-working spot ThinkBar offers a place to work away from home - Crain's Detroit Business
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