Austin Matthews and Keith Stille are reworking a space-sharing model and taking their own run at the idea with The Space.
Atlanta-based SharedSpace operated a coworking space at 901 Greene St. in 2018-2019. The location didn’t survive past two years, but Matthews and Stille have ideas to make coworking successful in Augusta.
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“We’ve had interest already, and it had interest before we were here as well. But it was priced for Atlanta, not for Augusta,” Matthews said. “I think we’ll have three or four clients right off the bat when we open the doors.”
Matthews and Stille may have inherited the furniture and infrastructure from SharedSpace, but their approach is different. It’s designed to provide clients with multiple options for their space needs, giving the most “bang for your buck.”
“We’ve tweaked things and brought on services that add value,” Matthews said.
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The Space is equipped to meet the needs of its clients, whether they need space for a virtual office or a traditional office with printers and common areas. In addition, The Space offers larger offices and ample TV screens available for video-conferences.
“People want everything now. They want an office and to work from home and work virtually. People like the options,” Matthews said. “People have been working from home and have had the kids running around, and now summer is coming up…they might not want to work from home as much anymore.”
With a basic membership, people can come work for the day in a coffeeshop-like environment. They can also rent dedicated spaces on a month-to-month basis.
Those with more involved memberships will unlock discounts for the other side of The Space, which is an event-hosting venue. It features a cafe with single-person space for individual projects as well as a large ballroom that can accommodate over 100 people. In addition, it has a training classroom similar to a university lecture hall.
“What’s neat is that you have business in a box. You can run your business here, host workshops and training here and have social events here, all in one location,” Stille said.
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Matthews expressed interest in marketing to people who hold business training events and seminars. He said ta few businesses in town have already shown interest in the space. When they begin to advertise their pricing and services more vigorously, they expect to appeal to both smaller business and larger business.
“We want to work for the small guy,” Stille said. “We’ll have competitive pricing, and it’ll make logical sense. We want to help businesses grow and prosper.”
The Space’s flexible options provides its sharpest strength.
“What’s unique about our space is that we’re big into the hybrid aspect, the combination of virtual and physical,” Stille said. “If you want to host an anniversary event for your parents, there’s room enough for the food and friends and family here. What if Aunt Martha can’t make it? She now gets to join the event virtually. People that can’t travel still get to interact.”
Matthews said that capability is different from having someone hold a phone and FaceTime with someone else. The technical background of The Space can create a middle ground between in-person gatherings and virtually-projected participants.
The blank canvas of The Space allows for creativity when it comes to how the community can operate within their walls, Matthews and Stille agreed.
“Make our space your space,” Stille said.
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The event-hosting side will have its website go live Monday. May 17. The coworking space, including the cafe and offices, will be available starting May 21.
Tyler Strong is the Business Editor for The Augusta Press. Reach him at tyler@theaugustapress.com.
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