Daniel Rivera ran his wedding photography business from his kitchen table while he taught high school physics. Because it seemed unprofessional to meet clients in his kitchen or at Starbucks, he researched what other small business owners did. “I knew I didn’t want to go to Starbucks and work there. And I did not want to get an executive office and sit in a room by myself. Sometimes you just want to bounce ideas off someone else or get an opinion.”
When a friend in Dallas suggested co-working space, Rivera, a former civil engineer, was intrigued and began attending conferences in Berkeley, San Antonio and Kansas City, making connections and analyzing the different models to determine what would work best in the Valley.
“The number of coworking spaces has doubled every year for last three years,” Rivera said. He added to that number by opening Grindstone Coworking in Edinburg last November for mobile workers and business start-ups. Yet coworking is much more than a desk with a good Wi-Fi connection.
“First, it gives you a professional place to work. Second, the community aspect of it all is like a breath of fresh air and a validation. The space, the atmosphere, are the intangibles you need when you are trying to get into the zone, the mindset of work,” Rivera said. That’s sometimes hard to do working from home with distractions of kids running through the house or your bed and refrigerator only a few steps.
Rivera extensively renovated a former insurance agency office, turning the 4,000 square feet into common work areas, four private offices, two conference rooms, a business center with a printer/scanner and a large training/multi-function room. Large telephone booths for privacy and Skyping and a central snack area cater to those needing both confidentiality and companionship.
The snack area has Moonbeams coffee on tap. Rivera researched the Moonbeans coffee shop, saw it promotes small businesses and now features the Grindstone logo on Moonbeans’ java jackets. “It all starts with a conversation. Then everything started rolling. It’s a good way to reach the market base that is working out of a coffee shop.” Moonbeans’ new food truck will operate from the front of Grindstone several days a week.
“The building feels alive with community, and it’s growing. I feel like we’re ahead of schedule,” Rivera said. Grindstone signed up 34 members in the first three months. Memberships range from $49 to $149 per month for six-month contracts to work in the art-filled building.
“One member is a McAllen attorney. He said it makes sense to have a coworking space here next to the courthouse,” Rivera said. “The newest member is a freelance writer from New York who saw us on Facebook.” Others include a Corpus Christi-based food distributor who had used a co-working space in Austin, a local CPA needing a part-time space away from the main office, and an Atlanta transplant. “It’s easier when they know what coworking is.”
Rivera said members are a mix of mobile/remote workers, small business owners both start-ups and established and those working as part of team. The private office tenants include Jinks Realty, Morin Business Service/Hord Photography and RGV Vision.
Grindstone hosts potluck Salad Mondays and birthday celebrations. Members stay connected via Facebook and a Slack group, which is an internal network (the anti-email, Rivera said) fostering community spirit … and providing people to bounce ideas off.
Grindstone’s founder, who no longer does wedding photography, is a board member of the Women’s Business Center.
For more information, see thegrindstone.co.
This story by Eileen Mattei appears in the April 2016 edition of Valley Business Report.