Williams said the Fairborn location will cater to “small businesses, start-ups and socially-minded entrepreneurs” and is the first satellite location for COhatch, which provides space and resources for people to use for working and living.
“There’s a real market for this smaller version of (COhatch) and what they do,” Williams said. “It allows a city like Fairborn to open a COhatch for a lot less money. The goal is to keep the same vibe, the same feel … Entrepreneurs in Fairborn will have direct access to capital, branding, digital resources … that are in these larger towns, which I think is essential.”
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With assistance from the Fairborn Development Corporation, Williams said they plan to transform the 300 block of West Main Street, about 13,000 square-feet of commercial space, and he is already in talks with restaurants and breweries.
COhatch Founder Matt Davis said he has seen businesses thrive under their unique model of supporting people’s lifestyles while also providing additional resources for their businesses and careers.
“At the end of the day, we want to build a community of people,” Davis said. “We want to have great places to work to get the most out of our talents and abilities … Good things happen when you bring like-minded people together and provide them resources.”
City Manager Rob Anderson said in a prepared statement this downtown redevelopment supports people’s desire to “work, meet and live in the communities they care about.”
“With assistance from COhatch, we are leapfrogging our development for the city, so everything will happen more quickly and at a higher intensity with greater results,” Anderson said.
COhatch will be able to provide desks, meeting rooms and working space with private offices this summer, while also being able to accommodate special events and off-site company meetings, Williams said.
Officials said with COhatch, the city will have access to the company’s shared resources, branded and operational materials, website, digital tools and network of professionals.
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Officials said agreements with current Spark members will be honored.
COhatch currently has three locations in Ohio — “The Hardware Store” and “The Library” in Worthington; and “The Newsstand” in Delaware along with “The Hub” at Polaris Fashion Place.
Three other locations are under construction — The Upper Arlington location “The Overlook;” Polaris Fashion Place “The Pub” that will open in early 2019 and “The Market” in Springfield, which is set to open later this year.
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