All private office workspaces have already sold out
ATASCADERO — On Thursday, Dec. 15, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., community members, members of the Atascadero Chamber of Commerce, City Council members, and more gathered for BridgeWork’s grand opening. The co-working space provides office spaces for rent to the community.
“This is a really proud moment for myself and for our board of directors. This was a vision years in the making,” said Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Josh Cross.
Originally, the Chamber started a co-working space when they moved from El Camino Real to Colony Square. However, due to COVID-19 bringing layoffs and permission to work from home, the space went from 100 percent occupancy to 10 percent.
“The space was empty, so we used that time to remodel the first time, and we added five new private offices,” added Cross. “As soon as we finished that, they filled up instantly. So we knew we were on to something.”
The Chamber received grant funding from both the City of Atascadero and the county. Each entity granted them a much-appreciated $125,000 each.
“We have so many people to thank that made this happen,” Cross said. “This was not just me or the chamber. We’ve had amazing community support. We’ve had the board of supervisors, the city council, we’ve had numerous businesses donate funding. Bank of America, Pacific Premier Bank, and Pacific Western Bank have all given funding to make this happen. I’m just really proud of the community for seeing the vision of what we’re trying to do here and then putting dollars behind making this happen.”
The project, which took just under a year to complete, was finished just mere hours before the large crowd who attended the grand opening arrived.
“There’s a lot of demand for low-barrier rent level. It’s not too expensive, and you get all the amenities. You get to collaborate and talk with co-workers. You get to meet people. You get the resources from the chamber. So there’s a lot of great reasons to do this,” Cross added. “If you lose your power, if you are visiting, if you have family visiting, if you just want to get out of the house, we’ve got a spot for you.”
BridgeWorks has day passes, week passes, and month passes currently available. The day rate is $25, the week rate is $100, unreserved desks for a month are $200, and reserved desks for a month are $300. All amenities and lounge spaces are included with all passes, including the beautiful outdoor lounges, which everyone can use.
“We need spaces like this to grow the next big idea. I think we’re doing that,” Cross said excitedly in his speech that evening. “And I’m convinced we are because, as of this morning, we are sold out again.”
The grand opening showed off the space, and Chamber members LouLou Cheese Girl and Central Coast Creamery provided a smattering of charcuterie snacks and baked goods and cookies came from Cookie Momo. Lapis Luna and Eberle provided the wine, and beer was provided by Firestone Walker. Make Music and Thrive provided the entertainment.
“We really want to attract the next big business in Atascadero. We want the entrepreneurs; we want startups to come here. We have a space for them,” said Cross. “What we want to see is the new business that needs resources and support, and we can help them with their rent.”
The evening also included an official ribbon cutting and a raffle for the attendees who were there to celebrate Atascadero’s new co-working space.
To find out more about BridgeWorks, go to; atascaderochamber.org/bridgeworks
