Hanging around the water cooler, coffee lounge or cafeteria can be a lonely affair when you work at home. Jacob Sayles, who has had all the isolation he wants staring into his home computer, decided to do something about it. His Office Nomads service opened officially last week as a response to such isolation. The new business is a bid to provide a support community to home or freelance workers.
Office Nomads, one block west of Seattle Central Community College, near Boylston Avenue and East Pine Street, offers home workers a chance to go to the office and interact with fellow workers. Office Nomads offers work space, printer and copier access, Internet access and meeting rooms for $475 per month. But most of all, Sayles says, it offers a community.
"I got the idea because I didn't like working alone," Sayles said, adding that he is not the first person to come up with the idea. "There are a lot of co-working businesses around the country."
However, most of them are in the 10 to 15 members size, and Sayles, along with his partner, Susan Evans, plan to accommodate 40 members in Office Nomads.
"By keeping it at 40 people we're really trying to embrace the humanity of it," Sayles explained. "The loneliness of isolation is far greater for some people than others." The company tag-line is "individuality without isolation."
Office Nomads is in a second story space in the Heath Printing Building at 1617 Boylston Ave. There are stairs and no elevator, so it is not ADA accessible. The space - about 5,000 square feet - offers two work areas, three different-sized meeting rooms, one of which can handle up to 20 people, and a coffee lounge.
The large work area is along the front of the building, with east light through several windows. The smaller work area is at the back of the building with only one window, so would be for people who are willing to trade off high traffic for artificial light. Sayles calls the smaller work room "the cave."
The area is not yet completely furnished, but plans call for 40 work tables and chairs with each work space to offer a plug-in for T-1 Internet connection or wireless Internet. The space will be utilized in an open concept; no fuzzy-walled cubicles. Members will have 24/7 access with electronic key cards, and the central desk will be staffed during the daytime by Sayles or Evans. Both Sayles and Evans have other, part-time jobs.
"Bring your own phone, bring your own computer," Sayles said. Although the work areas are wired for telephones, Sayles wants to gauge the demand before he commits to providing telephone service. Alas, there is no parking provided.
"Parking is always a problem," Sayles conceded, "But we're on lots of bus lines and we're walking distance to many things." He said the city is also planning to provide bicycle racks in front of the building, so walking, public transit and biking are all modes that will keep Office Nomads members from contributing to Seattle's already legendarily bad commute.
In fact, that is how Evans and Sayles teamed up. Sayles was tired of working in isolation and Evans was interested in business plans that would reduce the commute, among other things. Mutual friends introduced them, recognizing that they were pursuing the same ends, and the rest took care of itself. Sayles said the market research was mostly one-on-one conversations.
"As I started, I just began talking to people," Sayles said. "I bought a lot of coffees; I bought a lot of beers."
As the office community comes together he said members will be polled to decide what kinds of paint and other decorating will be done in the space.
"We have a very blank canvas right now," Sayles said. "As people come in we want them to help pick colors and flesh the space out. We want to make the place as comfortable as possible."
Besides the workspaces dedicated to Office Nomad members, there is an additional set of work spaces that will be available to drop-ins at $20 per day. That price includes the whole office support package except for the meeting rooms. It is arranged "cafeteria style" with side-by-side work spaces. Drop-in will be restricted to the hours from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Sayles expects to draw professionals who have worked before in company atmospheres where there is a busyness, shared communication and relationships. These people, after working on their own from their homes will be looking for something more than a computer, printer, phone and office equipment in a corner of their living rooms.
"The one thing you can't buy is a community," Sayles said.
Office Nomads is at 1617 Boylston Ave., suite 200. For more information call 323-6500 or go to to www.officenomads.com.
