By Briana Vannozzi
Correspondent
The days of start-ups at a kitchen table or garage may be giving way to sites like this — co-working offices where entrepreneurs share more than just a desk and WiFi.
“It’s a great place to just bounce ideas around, get more feedback, get connections, meet people you wouldn’t have otherwise been meeting, branch out into other places you wouldn’t have otherwise done and keep the creative juices flowing so to speak,” said Gridless Power Vice President Andrew Leonard.
Leonard and several of his buddies started a mobile power company in 2010. They rent space — when they need it — at Kings Hall in Haddonfield, one of a growing number of shared working sites.
“I believe that if people are in the same room at the same time a lot of great things happen. They may be sitting right next to each other in local coffee shops but there’s this invisible barrier,” said Devon Perry.
Devon Perry and her husband Sean own three historic properties along Kings Highway. Their list of clients include writers, restauranteurs and tech gurus, all working side by side.
“When I actually want to have a conversation and feel like I’m part of the community, I can come to a space like this and have some level of engagement with other people,” said Krista Sassani, a barista and marketing contractor.
“It’s nice to network with some of the other teams and see what the other entrepreneurs are doing. And see if we can help them in any way,” said Techstarters co-founder Joe Scola.
“We just thought this could work in a town like Haddonfield so we said, ‘Let’s give it a go and try to create that vibe, get that network,’” Sean Perry said.
Networking is a term thrown around a lot here in this trendy space. Workers say the cost of renting — either $99 a month or $299 depending on what you need — is worth the investment for the return.
“I’m the founder of Philabundance so sort of a social entrepreneur and I spend a fair amount of time talking to people who are young social entrepreneurs and people who are starting up projects,” said Pamela Rainey Lawler.
“Devon just calls me up and says, ‘Come in. I want you to meet people.’ And I come in and meet people,” said Farmstead Purveyors founder Matthew Parisa.
Anchor tenants like Sikora Wells Appel call it an incubator for good ideas.
“We are landscape architects and our space and our environment are very important to us. This had all the ingredients,” said Principal Architect Joe Sikora.
“The other co-working spaces around here are fulfilling people’s dreams in a way and they’re also meeting a very real financial need that a lot of people have when they’re at the most fragile stages of development,” said NJPen Journalist Matt Skoufolas.
“Because everybody is here for the same purpose so at a book shop or a coffee shop — especially because I work for a coffee shop — I know that sometimes being on the phone isn’t necessarily an appropriate thing or I just feel self conscious doing it because of the noise level or something of that nature,” Sassani said.
The demand for co-working spaces is increasing. The Economic Development Authority (EDA) recently approved $1 million in incentives for facilities in Jersey City, Hoboken and Asbury Park. Here at Kings Hall, they’re continuing to renovate and hope to expand within the state in the next few years.