We’re Still WAHMS, Though, Right?

Oh em gee, you guys. You are never going to believe what we did today.

The Berry|Brewer ladies took a big step and got ourselves an office space. It’s tiny, it’s cheap, and it is so freaking awesome. We’ll post some pictures as soon as I get them off of my cell phone, but we just couldn’t wait to share the news.

There were a couple of things that spurred us to take this step, one of which was an impending change to the way we work. This spring will bring some changes to our practices and the division of labor. The biggest impetus, though, was probably Tamara’s desire to have a place outside of her house where she can really buckle down and work without her adorable, yet distracting, toddler getting in the way. I’m more of a homebody than my business partner, so I wasn’t totally sold on the idea…until I saw the place today.

If you don’t mind, I’d like to just gush for a moment. Our new office (doesn’t that sound cool?) probably doesn’t exceed 150 sqaure feet, but what is there is really cool. The building is an historic one downtown, and it is home to the Spokane Entrepreneural Center. (Yeah, we know that website is lacking, but we informed the owner today that we know a couple of great writers who can provide him some quality content.) The SEC actually has two buildings that house around 35-40 small businesses. I’d like to tell you all about them, but I think I’ll save that for another post, as you might want to look around for something similar in your own city.

OK, so imagine this: You step into an historic brick building, and just in front and to your left is a rock facade with a door leading to a small, local winery. You climb the staircase to the second floor and are greeted at the top of the landing with pictures and renderings done by the architect who works in an office behind a freshly painted and door with a frosted glass window and transom that have been surrounded by a nice, wide molding. Also on the second floor is a break room and a hallway with various other small offices.

When you reach the third floor, you are in a lovely open space under a skylight. Several offices orbit the space, as does a shared conference room and some nicely updated bathrooms. To the right is the new home of the Berry|Brewer Freelance Agency. The freshly painted interior is set off by the exposed brick of the back accent wall. A small window lets in some natural light from a “light well,” and behind the entrance is another door that opens into a small closet. In addition to some PR folks and a project manager, our floor is also home to a massage therapist. Oh, yeah.

As if wine and massages aren’t enough, there is a new coffee house opening next door on one side, and the other side is home to a local art gallery. Seriously, could this place be any cooler? Actually, it can, as the rent is incredibly cheap, and it comes with a pre-paid parking spot right across the street.

We’re definitely not losing our WAHM roots, however, as we will both still spend plenty of time working from home. How wonderful is it, though, to have the option to work from home or not? We had always intended to have a “storefront,” but it wasn’t in our plans until year three. Of course, we didn’t know we were going to be introduced to the SEC and all it has to offer small businesses in our area.

Do you think that the incredible partnership we’ve shared thus far will survive the process of two women trying to decorate one office?