Cowork opens 2nd shared office

Aaron White was working out of the Scholar’s Inn Bakehouse and other coffee shops around Bloomington in 2012. As a web developer, White worked from different spaces around town.

He enjoyed the freedom of working remotely, but said he missed having people to work around. So he started meeting with a friend at the Bakehouse, and their group soon grew to about six people.

Everyone had the same need, he said. They just wanted some company when working. The group started calling the gathering Cowork Btown.

“It’s fun to work from home,” said Tyler Henke, a founder of Cowork Btown, “but it’s not fun to work alone.”

Two years later, White, Henke and third founder, Forrest Fowler, have turned Cowork Btown from a small group at a coffee shop to a full collaborative office space.

White said they realized there was a need in the Bloomington community for a space where people could come and work, and it quickly became more than just meeting for coffee.

Cowork Btown’s first office opened up in 2013, but the new office on South Walnut Street just opened with the new year.

Anyone wanting to cowork has a choice of daily and monthly payment plans to pick from.

Joining Cowork Btown grants access to office space, computers, a conference room and other amenities that come with the typical office, as well as the opportunity to work alongside a collaborative group of like-minded business people, Henke said.

All three founders said building a community is one of the best parts. Henke said it is a community of collaboration where everyone is invested in each other’s success.

And it’s nice to just have someone to go to lunch with, he said.

“I think there’s a huge group of people like us looking for this type of space,” White said. “This gives those people a comfortable place to get work done, but also a chance to network and have those water cooler discussions.”

White also said the office is open to anyone interested in joining.

Although White, Henke and Fowler all work as web developers, there is one IU student, a freelance writer and an insurance salesman, among others, who use the space.

Henke said how invested everyone is in Cowork Btown’s success is the biggest surprise. He said most of the current members volunteered a lot of their time to help get the new office up and running.

Looking ahead, Henke said they just want to build a bigger community.

“We want to continue to grow because the more
people we have here, the better the space will get,” he said. “Each person will bring something new. The more people joining, the more everyone can help each other.”