Coworking in Manhattan is not coworking in Brooklyn, at least for this provider

Inside the “Rock On” conference room at Coworkrs Gowanus, Anne Qu and Miriam Quart spitballed brand identities for the coworking space. On the wall, a projector displayed phrases such as “community-focused” and “boutique, neighborhood feel.”

“We don’t expand the same way as others do, because we care about how things are built,” said Qu, community manager for the year-old Gowanus location.
Quart, the founder of marketing consultancy Madison Avenue Consortium, was there to test out a new interactive projector that Coworkrs is piloting in both its Gowanus and Flatiron locations. The projector system, which is manufactured by Canadian company Nureva and administered by North Jersey company Phi Services, essentially turns any surface into a smartboard. Quart used the system to incorporate brainstorming activities into her presentation on brand positioning.
That’s a salient topic for the coworking industry these days. As more and more companies enter the field, they’ve found themselves having to devise new strategies to distinguish themselves from competitors. Certain locations have begun offering offbeat activities and perks, as Bloomberg Businessweek recently explored, including rock climbing and Negroni cocktails. In D.C., there’s a yoga coworking spot. In Brooklyn, it’s no different. With its Gowanus location, Coworkrs is trying to distinguish itself with a distinctly anti-corporate, neighborhood hangout-kinda feel, which is counter to what’s become standard with big box coworking spaces and to how the company runs its Manhattan location.
We interviewed 11 entrepreneurs about Brooklyn’s coworking boom last month. Read the story here.
The most lucrative approach, so far, has been to lure in larger companies. While in its early days, coworking primarily served freelancers and solo entrepreneurs, in recent years, coworking spaces have shifted from rows of open desks to, well, standard offices. Most spaces operate on a monthly membership model, but some are beginning to explore longer pay periods. WeWork, the giant in the industry, has reportedly begun encouraging members to sign up for yearlong leases amid rumors of financial strain.

Coworkrs is taking a similar approach, in some aspects. Later this year, it will open a new location in the Financial District, at 60 Broad Street, that will be composed almost entirely of office suites with private conference rooms. The new location, CEO Shlomo Silber told Technical.ly, is aimed specifically at larger companies that want their own branded space. Then there’s the smartboard technology, which Coworkrs has been testing for the past two months. The company plans to use it to draw in companies with distributed teams, since the smartboard platform is cloud-based and can be accessed and shared from anywhere.

“A lot of teams want to have privacy while they’re doing their core work, but they want to collaborate as well,” Silber said, summing up Coworkrs’ pitch to larger companies. “This still provides a good vibe and energy.”

On the flip side, Coworkrs’ Gowanus location, which opened last year, has a distinct neighborhood appeal. The building in which it’s based is a budding startup haven — Gimlet Media and Genius are next door — but the space has a laidback vibe. According to Qu, the vast majority of the space’s members either walk or bike to the location. Many of its members, she said, are solo workers who live nearby and want to get out of the house during the work day — a throwback to coworking’s earlier days. The Gowanus team looks to the neighborhood to offer products and services to its members. For instance, the space offers free 15-minute massages twice a month, courtesy of cityWell, a day spa in the neighborhood. On Fridays, the space even serves cookies baked with the help of local kids, many of whose parents are members.
“People kind of roll in,” Qu said. “At Flatiron, it’s more work-like.”
How does Coworkrs intend to serve both aggressive, growth-minded CEOs and solo practitioners just seeking a chill place to work? Silber told Technical.ly he’s taking a tailored, location-based approach. In Brooklyn so far, he’s found that proximity to home is paramount for new members, whereas in Manhattan, they’re more willing to make a longer commute. That’s why the company chose the Financial District to launch its private office suites, whereas in Brooklyn, he aims to continue fostering the relaxed atmosphere of the Gowanus location. This spring, Coworkrs signed a lease for a new location in Bushwick at 839 Broadway. That location will open next year.
The ultimate goal for Coworkrs in Brooklyn, Silber said, is to become as essential to the neighborhood as the local café or laundromat.

“You have your favorite coffee shop, your lounge bar, and then you have your coworking space,” Silber said.