Brooklyn office space has been looking better and better since the economy turned. Last month, we reported that nine new companies had spurned Manhattan for cheaper digs in downtown Brooklyn. But turns out the big winner in the office market is shared office space: renting a desk or cubicle, or even a share of one, in a group space. The NY Daily News reports that “as the economic crisis lingers, laid-off workers and small businesses in Brooklyn are turning to communal office spaces to save money and kick-start dream careers.” They cite Dumbo’s 155 Water Street (photo), aka the Green Desk Building, the 3rd Ward in East Williamsburg and the Park Slope Writers’ Space in the Slope, places seeing a boom in membership since so many folks are getting laid off and starting over. Rent can range from less than $100 to over $3,200, and owners of such spaces say the need is perpetual, even if the recession is giving them a bump. “I think it had something to do with the economic climate, but it serves an obvious need no matter what the climate,” said 3rd Ward’s Nikki Bagli. “Artists are always in need of affordable space, and I think it’s even more vital right now.”
Economic Crisis Has Brooklynites Turning to Communal Offices [NY Daily News]