Outdoor Area at The Wayne Smith Coworking
We can’t get over the beautiful outdoor workspace at The Wayne Smith, a coworking space in Tempe, AZ. As most of us are in the full-on throes of January winter weather, this Arizona coworking space has no problem making use of their stunning, landscaped outdoor area. Here’s what space owner Salim Zeitoun has to say about this unique coworking space and its very special origin.
When did you open your coworking space and what enticed you to do so?
I was actually a tenant renting an office at the property for about six months before I bought the building. Since day one I thought it would be a really cool place to have a coworking space, and it was so unique that I wanted to share it with everyone. So when I learned it would most likely be demolished when sold, I worked with the owner to try to buy it from him. After running their own (husband and wife) businesses from the building for over 20 years, and being long time Tempe residents, they didn’t want to see it get replaced with another cookie cutter building either, so in August 2017 I officially purchased it. The Wayne Smith was then launched in November 2017.
Tell us about your space. How big is it? What kinds of amenities do you have? What sort of quirks make it special?
The “office” was originally the home of the Mayor of Tempe Arizona in the late 1950s before it was the home and office of A. Wayne Smith, a landscape architect. The main building is about 3,000 sf. with an additional 2,000 sf. of office space on a 26,000 sf. “campus”. Unlike a lot of coworking spaces, we don’t have a massive open floor plan, which I am not a big fan of. This allows people to really GSD. We have places to gather and place to get comfortable and work.
What is your favorite thing about operating a coworking space?
Meeting new people and hearing about all the cool and random things people can do to make a living.
What is your biggest piece of advice for someone wanting to open a space?
Contact other owners/operators in your market for market research. I think you’ll find most are happy to share their experience. Also, invest in tools like Proximity early. It’ll free up some of your valuable time and it will make the member experience much better.
Workspace at The Wayne Smith Coworking Space
Workspace Patio at The Wayne Smith
The Wayne Smith Plaza