Type in "coworking space Tampa Bay" into Google Maps and you get over four pages of results: there's Pipeline, WeWork, Industrious, Station House, Factory 114, on and on and on.
But up until Sept. 25, the one thing an entrepreneur couldn't find was a coworking space that was affordable, close to startup resources and void of the bells and whistles so often seen in other spaces.
Workhouse opened in late September and houses Script, an Inno on Fire blazer winner, along with five other companies including a capital company and two companies from the University of Tampa startup incubator, Stridus and NTD Marketing. Workhouse is a former carpet company in North Hyde Park, spanning two floors and roughly 8,000 square feet. The space has 25 offices, a large conference room, break room and common work space.
"A lot of the startups I did talk with weren’t finding the space they needed at the price point they were looking for: something cost effective where they don't have to be so worried about overhead," Brant Peterson, owner of Workhouse, said. "It's a real concern as you jump out of an incubator — it's a nest and you spread your wings and fly — and we wanted to provide somewhere to land, to continue to grow. We want to keep them here in Tampa and provide them with the resources they need to continue their growth and not worry about rent."
Peterson, who owns Peterson Properties and Management, found himself in the startup world three years ago as simply a supporter: he attended nearby Tampa Bay Wave and the Florida-Israel Business Accelerator pitch nights and meetups. Born and raised in Tampa, he bought the Workhouse warehouse in 2013 and kept it in his back pocket for years.
After getting involved in the Wave and FIBA events, he realized a large part of the startup space and the neighborhood in general could benefit from a space that helped early seed-stage to Series A companies.
"I believe in Tampa and the startup community," he said. "And I would love to be a part of that and add value where I can and help these companies where I can. In this stage, this is the perfect opportunity to do something like that. Also, just having the conversations I had, I realized there was a problem here that I could help fix."
While Workhouse follows the typical "industrial" look often seen in other coworking spaces — there's the polished concrete, exposed air ducts and brick and even a mural from the same company that did Sparkman Wharf's shipping containers — the space cuts back on the other amenities that aren't needed for running a business.
"We talked to people asking, 'What do you need to be successful?'" Peterson said. "And it wasn’t cereal bars and kombucha taps. They're nice, but we have local coffee and high-speed internet and that gets most of the job done for a lot of these guys and girls."
Entrepreneurs can rent offices on a month-by-month basis which starts at $250/month, have an open desk for $75/month or a day pass for dropping in, ringing up at $20/day.
Peterson added while many have already asked if and when he plans to expand, he is focused on filling the entire space first before looking elsewhere. There is also an additional 8,000 feet he could expand to within Workhouse itself, he said.
"I think one of the best things about this community is everyone pulls each other up, he said. "It's a team gain here, where I don't think anybody looks at it as competition. It’s more, 'How can we better ourselves and the community and the city as a whole?'"
