“Thirdspace”?Ǭù is not a Babylon 5 movie!
Think of the old “general store” - a “thirdspace” isn’t home, it isn’t work, but it IS a place for people to meet, whether intentionally or accidentally. A place where ideas tend to surface. Why do you think so many different kinds of people go to Dawson-Taylor? (or the Interlude before that?)
What makes thriving communities? Thriving communities… of people. Nurturing this is so important to all of us. We need places where we can meet intentionally, even work. (Google “co-working”. An amazing model that could be implemented if only we had lots of excess office space downtown… LOL). But let’s get started informally… What do we need? What’s important?
Power of random connections -
Chance encounters with some characters listening to James Vincent (and to Sally Tibbs/Kevin Kirk) led to conspiring over cocktail napkins. From there, the discussions evolved at D-T into a budding social venture that had stalled until… this guy kept inching his chair over toward us… with the solution to our roadblock! (Yes, bankers drink coffee too.) Now, persons with disabilities in Idaho are going to have a leg up… all from some chance encounters. (So always inch your chair over to interesting conversations!) Why not find ways to encourage this?
Power of intentional connections-
We all know the term “incubator”, a greenhouse for baby business ideas where you get expert help (plus plenty of random connections). No need to limit thinking re incubators, btw, Bozeman turned an old school into an arts incubator. When I moved here, the Emerson had become home to all sorts of arts and creative activities.
But the hottest trend is the utterly logical concept of “co-working” - simply put, create a shared work space with the necessary amenities (proximity to coffee, broadband, a printer, etc.) where people or groups can rent a minimal amount of space to work. Often, it’s a public coffee shop [or pub!] out front with the private co-working space behind or upstairs. Seems a most viable business model.
Also, they often bring in expertise - guest speakers, mentors, coaches, subject matter experts of all kinds… many of whom simply enjoy hanging out amidst a critical mass of talented, passionate folks! (Or why I’m never surprised to see multiple VCs eating lunch in Stanford’s cafeteria, LOL)
Typically, the co-working spaces tend to aggregate people in the same general arena. If you’re all software developers, then the co-working space can be designed for your specific needs. If you’re all artists, the same is true (see Kulturhuset in Stockholm). But… I think you can see the value of bringing the artsy and techie folk together. And that’s the newest trend of all.
Power of co-location -
Add to the mix a very old idea: Co-locating service providers and other allies.
Imagine my tears of envy, walking into a facility where every entity that had anything to do with economic development, technology development & entrepreneurial development had at least a part-time presence… with a co-working space upstairs… and conference rooms & exec ed training rooms above that… and a thriving coffee shop with wifi in the lobby. (not D-T coffee, though… LOL)
Why not Boise? and, yes…. Plans are afoot…. (heh, heh)
But in the meantime - Let’s quit talking about getting together and (to paraphrase Pedro Cerrano’s final words to Jobu) let’s do it. I will be at Dawson-Taylor at 5 pm on Wednesday (16th) and Friday (18th) at 5 pm*. The secret password gets you a free coffee: “Bridging assets”
[* day/time subject to revision, of course. And I’m only springing for a small, LOL]
Norris
norris.krueger@gmail.com
(and sigh…. yes, “Thirdspace” WAS a B5 movie…)
Questions:
Where is Dawson-Taylor, and how will I recognize you?
I’ve been pondering this “thirdspace” idea for many years. Since last October I’ve been running a small business group dedicated to promoting consulting in the Treasure Valley. Finding good meeting locations has been close to impossible. You can’t please everybody. I recently put a survey out to my membership for ideas on new meeting locations and nothing has really emerged as a prime location.
What Boise needs is a venue dedicated to business networking, co-working / co-locating where folks can meet, hold meetings & events, have access to food & beverage, etc.
I’d love to put together something like this, but I don’t want to get into the restaurant business. If someone reading this is courageous enough, here’s your idea. Run with it. All I ask in return is to waive my fees when I want to rent some space for a meeting.
Dawson-Taylor is at Bannock & 8th, diagonally across from the Borah Bldg (Post Office). If you chant the secret password, we’ll find each other. Tall, mustache, probably talking (LOL). See you Wednesday and/or Friday. (See also Tac’s note re the 24th.)
Who’s coming?
The TECenter is a great resource, much like what everyone is describing. However, it is in Nampa - not exactly the best place for a chance meeting.
Were I King for a Day (or the Dean of BSU’s Business School or Bob Kustra even) I would take the long neglected Mode Building and turn it into an incubator/executive office space. THAT would be a great location where both planned and unplanned meetings would thrive. It would put idea people together with the people they need to grow their ideas, and would help fill up one of downtown’s cooler spaces that has gone largely unused for the last 5-6 years.
Funny you should mention that location…
but you can’t let a bureaucracy control something like this - the co-working model shows that a more bottom-up, entrepreneurial solution always trumps.
Tac, Chris, Justin, Bueller? Maybe we need to ring Baum’s doorbell? (I know a couple of potential allies who would enhance any conspiracy. Chris, tell Emile about this.)
Do we need to be protecting our “IP” here? LOL
We don’t need the food capacity, Justin - that is what Eighth Street is for. All we need is a building with “executive suites” actually a more open floorplan would be better and more collaborative; shared resources like a copier, mail center, Internet connection, etc.; a shared receptionist - or the coop model where the users themselves would be responsible a certain number of hours per week (like gallery sitting - artists coops), and a shared conference room. Then we are in business. The Mode is the perfect place to do that -
Also, consider the prospects of getting some ‘anchor’ tenants among bridging assets - seed the space with our own offices (well, if I had one, LOL) and maybe get someone like INL (currently across the street) and even ED folks, especially those already paying rent elsewhere (IRP, EDA) We should be able to carve out small spaces for the IEDAs & TechConnects of the world.
The nice thing about this model is that you don’t need to have fancy offices - just plenty of bandwidth, web & human.
Cheers!
Chris, aren’t you talking about Davinci?
Let me back up and illustrate what I’m dreaming about…
It’s not a bar. It’s not a restaurant. It’s not a coffee house. It’s kind of open, plenty of seating, maybe some partitioned meeting rooms where you can seat 20 to 30 people and close a door to shut out the noise. You can get a bite to eat if you want something to munch on. You can get a drink if you’re thirsty. You can just sit and hang out with your laptop in front of you, do some work or just catch up on your RSS feeds. This place I?ɬ¢?¢‚Äö¬¨?¢‚Äû¬¢m thinking of will cater to business people like us ?ɬ¢?¢‚Äö¬¨?¢‚Ǩ?ì the folks who want to co-locate their work. It?ɬ¢?¢‚Äö¬¨?¢‚Äû¬¢s got elements of home, elements of work and a place where you can get away from it all and just kick back & relax.
If business groups want to hold meetings or events, they can rent the whole place out or just the meeting room. Imagine a place the size of the Big Easy or the Funny Bone with street access and plenty of parking. Now, if there?ɬ¢?¢‚Äö¬¨?¢‚Äû¬¢s a place in Boise that has all of this, doesn?ɬ¢?¢‚Äö¬¨?¢‚Äû¬¢t cost an arm and a leg to use it or is free please tell me. I don?ɬ¢?¢‚Äö¬¨?¢‚Äû¬¢t like holding the meetings for my business organization in a pizza joint. I?ɬ¢?¢‚Äö¬¨?¢‚Äû¬¢m looking for something a little more serious, but fun at the same time.
I know, necessity is the mother of invention. I ought to just quit talking and start writing a business plan to shop to some investors.
I think we’re really in agreement -you need the casual space & you need a more formal co-working space. One is public, the other is for members. The latter doesn’t have to be formal offices - often the model is open, flexible design.
Justin, I’m not sure there’s a market for what you seek - how could we get it used enough? (Plus cost of parking?) Have you checked in using a hotel’s facility? If you use their food, it can be pretty cheap & free parking. However, tall to someone like Dave Ledyard at Dawson-Taylor & see if he’d make you a deal re his “back room” - if you only have 1-12 people. If you have more, talk Dominic at Satchel’s -outside of lunch hour, you could get the joint, I’d think & they’d keep the kitchen open to serve you. (I’ve eaten there while a meeting was going on.) Tell Dave and/or Dominic that I sent ya.
Here’s one good link to get everyone started- sound off on which models out there make the most sense.
http://coworking.pbwiki.com/
Again, it seems it’s useful to have both a public space for interaction plus something more private (yet still collaboration-friendly).
p.s. Great to meet you today, Stewart & Leo - it’s a start! Loved the fire in Tac’s eyes…
One possible short term alternative to the type of space that Justin seeks (and many of us for that matter) is the Linen District. I understand the Linen building (http://www.thelinenbuilding.com/) will be opening soon as an events center.
I do not know how the space is laid out, but I do know there is a coffee shop open and the Modern Hotel (http://themodernhotel.com) will also be open very shortly.
The Linen Building (and district) may provide some benefits in the short term as they ramp up and this group continues the search for permenant space.
An embarrassment of riches? Thanks, David! Keep us posted re the Linen Building.