Coworking is booming in Washtenaw County as remote workers seek community and work-life balance

In 2021, we at Concentrate asked, "Will the pandemic create a coworking boom in Washtenaw County?" Three years later, the answer seems to be a resounding "yes." We recently spoke to two coworking businesses in Ann Arbor and one in Ypsilanti about how the coworking landscape has changed since the COVID-19 pandemic, and they report that coworking is hotter than ever in Washtenaw County. All three businesses reported that most or all their membership levels are full, and one of the spaces is celebrating a major expansion this month.

From fringe to mainstream

One major change in the Washtenaw County coworking landscape is the normalization of the coworking model. Pre-pandemic, it was unusual to know someone utilizing a coworking space outside of some very large metro areas, but it's more common now, says Kristin Danko, community manager for The Back Office Studio (The BOS), 13 N. Washington St. in Ypsilanti.
Doug CoombeKristin Danko at The BOS.
"The coworking world is growing, and it's still new but it's becoming more recognized and understood," Danko says. "I can see it becoming a little more normal to be a member of a coworking space instead of going to a coffee shop to try to work. It's becoming a little more on trend for freelancers and remote workers."

Danko came on as The BOS' community manager at the height of the pandemic. She remembers The BOS being a quiet building with just a few socially-distanced, masked clients, and "the meeting rooms were pretty bare."

"Now it's bumpin' though," she says. "We have so many dedicated desks and meeting rooms in use." 
Doug CoombeEboney Byrne works at The BOS.
The BOS attracts a mix of solo entrepreneurs, remote workers, and startups, representing fields ranging from chiropractic to mortgaging to artistry of various types. As of early August, Danko says The BOS only had one private office that wasn't currently occupied.

The situation is similar at Office Evolution, located at 455 E. Eisenhower Parkway, Suite 300, in Ann Arbor. That coworking space has gotten so busy that it recently expanded into an additional suite on the same floor as its original space at the Concord Center building, adding 30% more offices.

"For a while, we were full up on mailboxes and coworking spaces, as well as all our offices were occupied," says Office Evolution Business Center Manager Jen Michalik.
Doug CoombeJen Michalik at Office Evolution Ann Arbor.
Office Evolution Ann Arbor owner David Whitinger says he was forced to expand because Office Evolution was completely full for more than a year.

"Being salespeople, we had nothing to sell," he says.

Work-life balance

Since many experts believe the remote work trend is here to stay, Danko says coworking also helps many people achieve work-life balance. 

"A lot of remote workers need that separation [between] home and office, a place they can come and focus," she says. "That is who makes up the majority of our dedicated desk members. They come here just for that purpose. They don't want to work at their kitchen table or in a corner in the basement."

Cahoots, located at 206 E. Huron St. in Ann Arbor, offers work-life balance in other ways, with wraparound services that make it a home away from home. Staff there have made it possible for coworkers to safely park bikes, take a shower, work out on their lunch hours, eat lunch, and invite friends to meet after work for Bachata lessons and other activities – all on site at Cahoots.

Even those who manage coworking spaces appreciate the work-life balance their businesses afford them. Whitinger's first career is in automotive parts sales. He has an office in Dexter and one at home, but says he never uses either one. If he's not on the road, he's at Office Evolution.
Doug CoombeDavid Whitinger.
"Being on the road, I don't necessarily like working in a home office by myself. I'm more distracted there," he says. "If I'm not traveling, I work here."

Flexibility and community

Staff at all three coworking spaces cited flexibility and community as two of the motivators for individuals and companies seeking out desks at coworking spaces in Washtenaw County. 

Danko says that coworking spaces have learned to adapt their offerings to what companies need. One of The BOS' most unique arrangements happened when leaders of one company decided they wouldn't renew their lease on a building and would have their workers work from home most of the time. However, they use The BOS for all-day meetings and planning sessions once a month.

Whitinger says that what Office Evolution was doing when its Ann Arbor office opened in 2017 was "totally different" from its focus now. In 2017, Whitinger was mostly reaching out to people who worked solo and recruiting them as members. Now, Office Evolution is getting more interest in its private offices, and small teams or individuals who are part of larger companies are working there.
Doug CoombeDavid Whitinger and Jen Michalik.
"What's really changed post-COVID is that we're getting so many companies downsizing, and certain people can't work at home," Whitinger says. "They work in financial or legal [fields] and they have to work behind closed doors.".

All three coworking spaces emphasize community in different ways. Cahoots Executive Director Chelsea Hohn says it's to Cahoots' advantage that some remote workers just hate working from home.

"Post-COVID, that became a huge part of our membership. People come in here and they tell us, 'I just need to connect with people,'" she says. "We started doing a lot more programming around that, creating opportunities for people to get to know each other."
Doug CoombeChelsea Hohn at Cahoots.
Michalik notes that Office Evolution offers quiet spaces for workers to concentrate, but the most popular spot is the kitchen. There, remote workers and entrepreneurs congregate to chat over glasses of cold brew Hyperion coffee, which Whitinger keeps on tap.

"I think we've found a happy medium of good conversation and camaraderie between all the members, but we all know we're coming into a place of business," Michalik says.

The BOS offers a variety of events, from a relaxed and unstructured networking event called the Ypsi 9th Hour to more structured artists' mixers. Cahoots offers dance classes and workshops, and draws in the general public with its cafe. Hohn says that about 50% of cafe customers are not members, and the spot is popular with grad students and farmers market customers on market days.
Doug CoombeKristin Danko.
Beyond creating community for members of the coworking spaces, Danko says she can foresee coworking spaces creating more connections among themselves in the near future. She says she already refers clients to Cahoots when they're not a good fit for The BOS, and she's had other coworking spaces send clients her way. Whitinger also notes that Cahoots sends potential clients his way and vice versa.

"I'd like to see the coworking spaces connect a little more in the future," Danko says. "It'd be nice to see how we could work together."

Sarah Rigg is a freelance writer and editor in Ypsilanti Township and the project manager of On the Ground Ypsilanti. She joined Concentrate as a news writer in early 2017 and is an occasional contributor to other Issue Media Group publications. You may reach her at sarahrigg1@gmail.com.

All photos by Doug Coombe.