Rochester ranks as most affordable cowork locations for freelancers, study says
There are 59 million people working as freelancers in America and according to a survey conducted by Tool Tester many of them count on shared office space, known as coworking, to get their jobs done.
Rochester is the most affordable cowork city in the country for freelancers, offering places to spend working hours at a lower cost, according to the survey.
For freelancers who can work from anywhere, becoming a member of a cowork space has its benefits, which include: a low-cost alternative to leasing an office and the ability to differentiate between home and work in a professional environment.
People can choose this lifestyle for a number of reasons, and work-life balance is a major factor, explained Tool Tester.
Those among the "cheap elite” per monthly cost include Mesa, Arizona, and Boston.
Top 10 most affordable coworking cities (per month), according to Tool Tester
Rochester, New York – $169
Overland Park, Kansas – $194
Mesa, Arizona – $194
Boston – $194.80
Tulsa, Oklahoma – $197.20
Des Moines, Iowa – $202
Irving, Texas – $207
Miami – $219.80
New York City – $221.90
Durham, North Carolina – $222.30
Coffee shops – not exactly cowork – have historically served as central meeting places for remote work and collaboration. Locally, Spot Coffee, New City Café & Roastery and Equal Grounds here in Rochester are among a popular few, and Starbucks nationally.
Looking to give coworking a try? Below are a few Rochester-area cowork locations (in no particular order).
SPOTcowork
600 Fishers Station Drive, Victor
104 East Ave., Rochester
21 Goodway Drive, Henrietta
SPOTcowork has three locations here in Rochester with their newest on East Avenue having opened in 2022. The cowork locations are all open 24-7 and go by a first-come-first-serve model.
People who stop by have access to free Wi-Fi, printing and fresh coffee throughout the day. If you drive an electric car, feel free to plug in at no cost in the Henrietta and Victor parking lots' electrical vehicle charging stations available to members.
Jason Benson, general manager for SPOTcowork said that it is a "great place to work alone or network with other individuals."
Monthly memberships are available, the cowork also offers individual day passes and hourly rates so there is no need to use the space again and again if you don’t need to. Mailbox services are also available at their locations.
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Venture X Rochester - Hampton Ridge
4050 West Ridge Road, Greece
Venture X is a cowork franchise that began in Florida, and the Greece location has been open since 2019. Of the company, it is currently the only one in New York state.
Rick Kurtelawicz, the community sales manager for Venture X, said that it is a shared workspace community for entrepreneurs, for anyone.
"Our private offices, workspaces, meeting rooms and community area are all ideal for collaborating," he said. There are no long-term commitments or agreements, access is on "your terms, day to day or every day," Kurtelawicz said.
Amenities of the 10,000-square-foot facility include:
Private entrance for members with 24-7 access
Café and lounge area with all-day complimentary tea and coffee
Custodial services included; offices cleaned and disinfected daily
Free parking, Wi-Fi and electricity
Anthony Federico, regional manager of PFS Investments uses Venture X. He said that his company has been building a team in Rochester and that the location has beautiful conference rooms.
"We have been able to put trainings together to accommodate our employees. Meeting with clients in this space works well, too," he said. Federico and his team have been members at the facility for almost a year.
Port 100 Cowork
350 East Ave., Rochester
There are two Port 100 "communities": one in downtown Rochester and the flagship location in Geneva, which was started by the city of Geneva as an economic development initiative in 2016. Port 100 in Rochester was founded in 2018.
Amenities of memberships include:
Dedicated desk (the desk that you occupy is yours alone and no one else works at that workstation)
Semi-private offices and private offices for businesses
Free Wi-Fi, 24-7 access and mailbox service (have your business mail sent there)
Outdoor patio (in the Rochester location) which overlooks the city
Conference room access
Maureen Ballatori, co-owner of Port 100, said that a month-to-month membership is needed to access the space.
"We want to make it easy for someone to have an affordable workspace. Our location is accessible and central many local restaurants, bars and coffee shops," she said.
Carlson Cowork
100 Carlson Road, Rochester
There was a time almost seven years ago when the Carlson Park Business Center had "a lot of vacancy in the building," said Kurt Ziemendorf, president of Landsman Real Estate Services Inc., also manager of the cowork space. He said they needed to bring some energy back and had someone looking for a small workspace.
Month-to-month membership offerings include:
Cubby – Private cubicles suitable for visiting clients and guests.
Quad – Cubicle style where you face others working with you. Ideal for collaboration.
Personal workspace – Private office space suitable for any business, photographers, too.
Carlson Cowork is located in Carson Park Business Center, in the North Winton neighborhood. Its office park mates are Radio Social, Comedy at the Carlson and Savin Engineers, Compassion Home Care, RPI printing, Acusa Inc., Workplace Interiors and Staach Inc.
Amorette Miller is the Democrat & Chronicle's growth and development reporter. She can be found at @amorettemiller and e-mailed at acmiller@gannett.com
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Rochester NY ranks as most affordable cowork city in US, study says
