Ten years ago very few of us knew what a “co-work” space was; now we have at least three of them in the valley, including the Mtn. Annex in Winthrop.
During early COVID, many of us found our homes becoming at hoc co-work spaces, an employment environment for which almost no home is designed, at least not well. Even if we all had the counter space to accommodate every single family member’s “work station,” we didn’t have the bandwidth to allow the entire household to be on the internet eight hours a day, five days a week.
These residential “co-work” situations were widely embraced by the younger “colleagues” who delighted in the opportunity to cook gourmet meals at lunchtime, but were met with less enthusiasm by the “house managers” responsible for stocking the communal larder.
My kids are teenagers, so when schools were in the remote/hybrid phase at least my “co-workers” at home could be left to their own devices — literally. But for those attempting to co-work at home with small children, well, let’s just say that the co-work environment was a fast-paced one, requiring patience, adaptability and the ability to stay one step ahead of the workforce.
Now just imagine a bright, clean, airy co-work space, with comfy couches, yards of desktops, a common kitchen, a privacy phone call booth, superfast internet, and fellow co-workers who clean up after themselves? That was the vision for the Mtn. Annex in 2019 — a vision that has since been realized.
Located on the hill above the ballfield, the Mtn. Annex opened up in 2019 as a co-work building and has been steadily filling its office suites with tenants, ranging from nonprofit organizations to a yoga space to a design studio to contractors to consultants. Now, the Mtn. Annex is welcoming the public to its open house on Saturday (Dec. 18) from noon-5 p.m.
Those who are interested in seeing the space can just show up during those hours. Additionally, if you’re interested in learning what it’s like to operate in a co-work environment, you can work for free at the Mtn. Annex from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Just show up with your laptop or notebook and work.
During the open house, the Mtn. Annex will provide beverages and snacks. Local artists and makers will also be present with their wares, including pottery, jewelry, tea, soap and apparel, so you can get high-quality products to meet all of your holiday gift needs while supporting our local creative community.
