If Arcweb had to pick one organization to sit next to at the lunch table everyday, it’d be Indy Hall. Short for Independent’s Hall Indy Hall is the biggest coworking space in Philadelphia.
Often freelancers and contractors will have steady work, but they don’t have a steady office. With the concept of remote work gaining momentum all over the globe, after a while working at home in your pajamas isn’t that appealing. (It is, however, GREAT at first) You start conversing with the house plants or cats, and working out of coffee shops is not ideal for reliable wifi connections. Back in 2006 a group of like-minded Philadelphians didn’t want to work from home anymore, but they didn’t have a traditional office to go to (nor did they want to!) With a lot of hard work Indy Hall was born. To keep up with local demand for space, and now in it’s 5th year the ‘Hall has moved to it’s second, multi-floor location. Indy Hall has several membership levels ranging from dropping in once a month to having a full time daily desk. It is also perfect for people who work part time and have flexible schedules.
So what attracted Arcweb to Indy Hall in the first place? Aside from having delicious free coffee, Indy Hall is the perfect place for a company to operate without having the overhead expenses such as rent on a full office space. As a small but growing company, Arcweb has several full time desks clustered together in the midst of other developers, designers, writers, students, artists, game developers, etc. We were also drawn to the space based on Indy Hall’s core values that can be seen throughout all of their endeavors. The five core tenets are: collaboration, openness, community, accessibility, and sustainability.
Located in Philadelphia’s Old City neighborhood, the area has become the destination for a growing Philadelphia tech industry. Affectionately nicknamed ‘N3rd St.’ for its tech focus; a Philly.com article outlines that this has occurred by connecting people and building both work, and social relationships.
Since this is such a diverse community, there is a huge network of people who are willing to lend an ear, or who are looking for extra work when things get busy! Arcweb is also able to take advantage of Indy Hall’s conference rooms when we need to have onsite client meetings. The best part is that Arcweb is able to help support a community made up of local entrepreneurs, and in return we are able to share a space (and after work recess at the bar) with some of the smartest folks in Philadelphia. It’s a win-win, and we’re smitten.