South Philly Co-Op Workspace: ‘Interest has been high, follow-through has been low’

It’s been pretty quiet inside South Philly’s first coworking space since its September launch, said cofounder Ian Toner. Aside from Toner and his cofounder, about two or three members “cycle in and out,” he said.

Toner, an architect, opened the coworking space at the former corner grocery store at 11th and Pierce Streets because he needed an office and found a space that was larger than he could accommodate. It was another addition to the busy coworking and colocation sector in Philly, but also the first in its neighborhood. He said he heard plenty of interest from neighbors who either work from home or from coffee shops. But once the space opened, the interest seemed to fall off.

“Interest has been high,” Toner said, “and follow-through has been low.”

Visit the Co-Op’s website here. Like many other coworking spots in the area, Toner is offering a free month-long trial at the space.

Maybe it’s because it’s hard to make the shift from working at home to working at a shared workspace, he said.

Toner is frank about how he envisioned the space: he wasn’t focused on creating a community, a common aspiration and attribute of other local coworking spaces like Indy Hall and Cultureworks Greater Philadelphia. He opened the space for more functional reasons.

Instead of “coworking,” the term “office sharing” might be a more accurate description of the space, Toner said.