NYC Sentinel

Independent professionals work on their different projects during a recent afternoon at New Work City, a Varick Street coworking space. Photo: Alexander Hotz

By Alexander Hotz

For many Americans working at home sounds great. No commute. No tie or pantsuit. No office drudgery.

But for many professionals, especially those in the tech world, the structure of a communal work space is essential.

“It sucks being cooped up,” said Mike Dizon, a freelance web developer who also runs his own startup Shiznitted.com. “You become a little bit of a hermit and you don’t ever leave [your apartment].”

“The walls start closing in on you,” added Ara Anjargolian, an entrepreneur who created the financial Web site Ycharts.com.

To avoid cabin fever Dizon, Anjargolian and many of their peers turn to coworking spaces like New Work City, a gathering spot for independent professionals located in Manhattan’s Soho neighborhood. Clients pay a daily or monthly subscription fee for a workspace complete with Internet, unlimited coffee and other human beings.

One of the biggest differences between a co-working space and a typical office space is the fee structure. Co-working spaces operate on an upfront payment model similar to a gym membership. At New Work City, for example, rates range from a full-time monthly membership of $500 to a drop in fee of $25 dollars a day for non-members.

The workspaces also tend to have more of an open atmosphere. At New Work City large windows let in an abundance of light, there are no cubicles and everyone can see everyone.

Coworking is a relatively new phenomenon born out of Silicon Valley. The term was coined in 2005 by programmer Brad Neuberg and since then it has spread rapidly across the country and the globe. No statistics exist on just how many people are currently co-working, but the steady proliferation of co-working locations suggest a growing trend.

The Big Apple boasts a handful of coworking locations, each with their own style, community and focus. There’s the green coworking site Green Spaces NY. There are coworking spaces for artists: 3rdWard and Coworking Brooklyn. And, if you’re an ambitious startup looking for a foothold in the competitive New York tech scene, Rose Tech Ventures and Sun Shine Suites. For those not interested in a long-term commitment or are low on cash, Jelly, a free twice-a-month option, may be the best alternative.

Like some of its competitors, New Work City is geared towards small startup operations, but it also counts a large number of one-man bands as reliable customers.

“It’s good having some people to bounce some ideas off of rather than being alone at home with no one to talk to,” said Gib Reimschussel a web developer from the West Coast.

Reimschussel, who has been working at New Work City for two weeks, explored a few of the other coworking sites in New York before settling on New Work City. “A lot of the other options seem to be geared towards small companies and not just towards solo guys looking for a month to month kind of thing,” Reimschussel explained.

Although a large part of New Work City’s appeal is that it’s not an apartment, patrons also cite the community, collaborative atmosphere and networking opportunities as benefits.

“I needed somewhere that wasn’t an office and wasn’t my house and Starbucks wasn’t really going to cut it,” explained Tony Bacigalupo, the self described Mayor of New Work City. A few years ago the company Bacigalupo works for, Desktop Solutions, got rid of its office space. At first he was excited at the idea of never having to commute or sit in a cubicle, but soon Bacigalupo realized that working at home didn’t work for him either.

New Work City has its roots in CooperBicolage, a free coworking site started in October of 2007 by Bacigalupo and his partner Sanford Dickert. Initially CooperBicolage met in the basement of Gramstand, a small coffee shop in the East village. After developing a loyal following, the pair moved their operation to its current Varick Street location, changed the name to New Work City and began charging a fee. Despite starting the business during the depths of the recession, New Work City had thirty five customers signed up on the first day of operation – Nov. 1, 2008 – enough to break even.

“It’s a good community,” said Alex Shapiro another New Work City client who runs his own business TouchGraph from the space. “Rather than feel like an island you feel like you’re a part of something larger.”