We’re excited to introduce to you The Indie Alley, a female-focused coworking space in Fairfax, California. The Indie Alley offers private offices, open coworking spaces, and fosters a community that focuses on offering support to women through all stages of life. Take a step inside and hear what the collective group of women who run the Indie Alley have to say about their space!

When did you open your coworking space and what enticed you to do so?
We opened our space on International Women’s Day, March 8th, 2018.

Tell us about your space. How big is it? What kinds of amenities do you have?
We are a stand-alone building in the lovely town of Fairfax in Marin County, CA. We have 2,400 square feet of space where we have private offices and two open coworking spaces, a conference room as well as outdoor space. We also have a fully stocked kitchen – coffee, tea, snacks, hard and soft drinks.

What sort of quirks make it special?
The Indie Alley is handcrafted. We use pieces that inspire a feeling of home and togetherness (without the laundry and dishes). There is nothing cookie-cutter about the space – most pieces are upcycled and while nothing really matches, it just works!

What is your favorite thing about operating a coworking space?
The favorite thing by far is the people and the community that we’ve fostered so naturally. Because the space is so unique, people will self-select and you can really find the folks who want to be a part of what we are doing here.

What has been the most surprising/unexpected thing about operating a coworking space?
Man is it ever hard to get the word out! We find that word-of-mouth is our best marketing tool. We use a lot of social media platforms, but the discovery process once somebody walks in the door on a recommendation is really a beautiful thing to witness.

What’s your favorite story about one of your members?
We had a member who was here for what she believed to be a temporary period of time. We all fell in love with her and she became the heartbeat of our community. When the time came for her to leave, she decided she just didn’t want to, so she moved her permanent office into The Indie Alley and her spirit and loving nature really makes a difference here.

What is your biggest piece of advice for someone wanting to open a space?
The margins are really small until your programming takes off if you are running a small establishment. The best thing I personally did was to purchase the building and make the investment into the property as opposed to renting and covering somebody else’s mortgage while barely covering the monthly nut. At least at the end of the day, I know I have made a decision that will be fruitful for my family’s future.

Check out the Indie Alley on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram