A new co-working space in Northglenn is helping Colorado employers and entrepreneurs meet their office needs.
Diane Mapes and her husband opened Office Evolution Metro North at a time when many of those needs were changing because of the pandemic.
Mapes said part of the appeal of Northglenn was that it attracts a lot of people who don’t want to commute to Denver.
“Out in the suburbs, people are spoiled now. They’re used to being at home — don’t want to drive and commute a half hour,” Mapes said.
Office Evolution Metro North has 45 private offices, two conference rooms, and flex offices that can be rented daily or weekly. There’s also a communal area with a refrigerator, mail services, printing and an area to relax and meet with officemates. But unlike a traditional workplace, these co-workers are in entirely different industries.
Jocelyn Chardon opened her permanent makeup business, Studio Euvoia, with hopes of growing her client base. She gets plenty of referrals from other tenants in the building.
“It’s wonderful that I’m the only one in this space doing this (service). It can bring a lot more people into my space,” Chardon said.
For Alisa Wong, a licensed herbalist and acupuncturist, it was all about location.
“I have an office in Greeley, but I really like this area,” Wong said.
Pediatric speech therapist Allie Johnson liked the fact that this space was more professional.
“I think a lot of families feel more comfortable coming to a traditional office space as opposed to coming to a stranger's home for the first time,” Johnson said.
She also likes having a designated waiting room for families.
Mapes said the space is perfect for entrepreneurs, and she loves watching people grow their businesses and network with one another. But existing employers are also using the space to accommodate a growing number of remote workers. They can rent space at Office Evolution rather than bringing everyone to the main campus.
“We call it the hub-and-spoke model,” Mapes said.
One question is how much people will continue working from home and whether employers will continue to downsize their office needs. In the second financial quarter of 2021, Denver’s office real estate market had an 18.8% vacancy rate, the highest since fall of 2009.
But for those who found working from home was less than perfect, Office Evolution offers a good balance of camaraderie and quiet space.
“Meeting other people and talking to others and throwing ideas around that’s what people need — it really brings people to life and helps their businesses grow,” Mapes said.
