Creative Space — a chat with Cody Marx Bailey

Time for another profile in our ongoing series of chatting with folks who are spreading the coworking word and movement around the country (and the world). This time out, I did an email interview with Cody Marx Bailey, who was the catalyst for The Creative Space, a coworking space in Bryan, TX. Cody is also the owner of Downtown Cartel, a software development and consulting company.

Spike Gillespie: How did you get involved in coworking?
Cody Marx Bailey: Some friends and I were working from coffee shops and living rooms. A few of us were looking to start our own companies and some already had. I had read about coworking and pitched the idea to the group. The five of us all recognized the opportunity and it just made sense. We pooled our money together and found the largest office space we could afford. Once we were in, we knew we would find other folks to join in and reduce the cost for everyone. In August of 2007, we moved in and became the first coworking space in Texas.

Spike: Tell me about the Creative Space — size, décor, location.
Cody: We’re located in Downtown Bryan, TX in a space approximately 2,200 sq ft. There are six rooms with large French doors that connect them. Three of the rooms are used for offices and the others are what we call “common spaces.” My guess is the building is about 80 years old and has the classic fixtures you don’t find in most modern buildings. We’ve got beautiful hardwood floors, exposed brick, lots of windows and a full bathroom for the members who commute via bicycle.

Spike: What’s your business model?
Cody: We didn’t start The Creative Space based on a model to generate money. We wanted to ensure that all the books would be open and we would all see what everyone else was paying. We’ve had two leaseholders and they have stepped up to manage the payments and bills. We started with 5 anchors and we’ve grown to 13 residents — each time we add someone we adjust the percentage each person pays. At full capacity it comes out to about $170/mo for a reserved space and 24 hour access. We do not charge for drop-ins as we have found that they add diversity to the group. Of course, anyone stopping by with a few sixers of beer will never be turned away.

Spike: Are you finding a lot of collaboration happening among you and your coworkers? If so, please give an example or two.
Cody: From day one there have been collaborative projects spanning all members of The Creative Space. We put together BarCampTexas when we only had 7 people, and more recently we’ve been working on the BIL Conference. To be honest, the group of people in The Creative Space feels more like a family. We exercise radical transparency and there is absolutely no drama or infighting. Everyone realizes that the bigger picture is worth more than any single issue that may arise.

One of the latest projects is a community-driven fashion label named DesiredHearts. There’s about 10 folks from the Creative Space that have contributed to the project and we all share ownership of it. Most of the projects we start are done through equity sharing.

Spike: Is running the space interfering with your day job?
Cody: For the most part it doesn’t take much time to really run the space. We all sorta take care of our own little areas and people pitch in when they see something that needs to be done. Once a month we host an art gallery in the space and invite the public into the space and kick back as part of the First Friday event. Day-to-day I’m speaking with clients and interfacing with other groups Downtown Cartel works with. I take care of quite a few websites on the side as well.

Spike: So far, how’s it going — are you full up? Struggling to get people in?
Cody: It took us about 7 months to reach capacity. Right now we are not taking on any more reserved spots, but drop-ins are more than welcome. I like to make the analogy that the way we find new residents is sorta like dating. You don’t move in with someone after one date. We hang out with the person and make sure that they “get it.” We go out and have a few beers and relax and talk shop. We don’t really have a formal vetting process or some sort of vote we hold. It’s more or less if we get enough people to vouch for the person then everything is gravy.

Spike: Obstacles you’ve encountered and how you have/have not cleared them?
Cody: To be completely honest, there haven’t been many obstacles. I guess choosing paint color was sort of an issue — and figuring out how to move the pinball machine up 2 flights of stairs wasn’t fun. On second hand, we’ve had a huge obstacle choosing the type of beer we want brewed. Dean Brundage is a home brewer who keeps the keg filled and sometimes we will have huge fights about what type of beer we’ll be getting. This has lead to many screaming matches and arm wrestling.

Spike: Rewards of coworking?
Cody: Forming a bond with the people you work with on a daily basis. In a lot of ways, we are all very similarly-minded people. We all hang out, go to lunch, and party together on the weekends. We also help each other professionally by offering advice and our network of people we know.

Spike: What else?
Cody: Being from Bryan, TX, we have taken the challenge of changing the culture in a town that historically hasn’t been the most culturally rich. We have begun to branch out of the tech/web area and into other domains where we can influence the way we live, work, and play. In July we held GardenCamp, an unconference centered around gardening with the spirit of BarCamp. We promote the local music scene by contributing to the Northgate Music Festival and venues around us.