A new office space in downtown Baton Rouge is putting an alternative business model to the test.
As 225 details in a feature from the current issue, the model is based on the amount of time tenants stay in the space at 804 Main St., and the minds behind Creative Bloc are hoping that small scale businesses will be interested. Artists and creators can apply for a membership to purchase work time.
The idea behind Creative Bloc started when Launch Media president and executive producer John Jackson was scouting a new headquarters. His realtor introduced him to the Main Street space, one that hadn’t held a tenant since the mid-’90s and had around 11,500 square feet.
Though that part of downtown has been relatively quiet, Jackson says he saw potential in the space. Most of the offices in Creative Bloc have already been leased. There’s a local photography studio, a New England-based web developer and New Orleans Video Access Center, to name a few. But space is still available at a rate where members can work among fellow creatives at their convenience.
“The idea is to put a bunch of creative people in the same spot and see what happens,” Jackson says. “It made sense to create this hub and be a part of it.”
The trend of shared workspaces has spread throughout the Capital City. Some other examples include Entrepreneur Headquarters, which is now planning a move from Perkins Rowe to the YMCA complex on Perkins Road, and Springboard in the Kress Building downtown. Read the full feature.​Â
