A new concept in office space is open for business in New Milford.
Local businessman Tony Vengrove is the mastermind behind Makery Coworking on Bank Street, where “makers, creators and entrepreneurs” will be able to rent space for a day or a year (or somewhere in between) to conduct business. The property offers small rooms for private phone conversations, a conference room for large groups, and collections of tables, straight-backed chairs and sofas where collaborative conversations, note-taking or deep thinking can take place.
The two-story, 5,000 square-foot space is meant to attract entrepreneurs, freelancers and other creative types who have been working out of their homes but who understand the benefit of being around a diverse group of business people. They might also need a more professional space to meet a client.
“It’s for people who may be tired of working in isolation in their homes or meeting at a coffeehouse and want to add legitimacy to their operation,” Vengrove said. “But the most important thing is the community, people networking together. Everyone can have an office at home. This is a place to inspire and lift everyone up.”
Vengrove said the value of coworking is what drives his business model.
“I’m hopeful this community will become a real entrepreneurial hub in Litchfield County, and help attract other startup businesses to the greater New Milford area.”
Richard Portelance was one of the first entrepreneurs to join Makery Coworking. He runs two start-ups out of his house and keeps in touch with his colleagues mostly by phone.
“Working out of my house is fine but there’s a lack of stimulation,” Portelance said. “That human interaction really helps to develop ideas because you’re face-to-face, or inspired by conversation at the coffee machine with someone you haven’t met before. This building is a great creative space to brainstorm and do entrepreneurial work.”
Similar coworking spaces have started in other parts of Connecticut, but Makery Coworking reflects Vengrove’s personality and his hopes for his hometown.
Vengrove first moved to New Milford in 1998 but he and his wife Kate transplanted their family to Richmond, Virginia, when the local corporation Tony worked for was acquired in the wake of the 2008 recession.
He served on the Board of Directors of Richmond’s Creative Change Center, whose mission was to make Richmond a creative hub in the United States. In addition, he got involved in several efforts to spur the city’s start-up community, but Vengrove said he and Kate kept thinking about New Milford.
“I saw firsthand how the creative economy can revitalize a community and realized we could do all this entrepreneurial stuff in New Milford,” Vengrove said. “We were homesick for the fabric and the hills of Litchfield County and were troubled to hear about the challenges facing Connecticut. So we said, let’s go home to do our part to make the community and state better.”
They moved back to New Milford in 2013. Vengrove founded the marketing and strategy firm Miles Finch Innovation and began networking in the region and state with other innovators. Last summer, the space at 20 Bank Street, owned by Bank Street Investments, became available, and Vengrove planned for an early 2017 opening.
“This space combines the freedom that technology offers with a place to interact with other likeminded people and exchange ideas, knowledge, and resources so that a concept or home business can grow and thrive,” said Mayor David Gronbach. “I know that it will be a tremendous opportunity for the town and am excited to see it open.”
Kevin Bielmeier, New Milford’s economic development director, predicted Vengrove’s business will benefit the town.
“I see Makery Coworking space as an anchor in New Milford -- an intersection of ideas and talent, fostering synergy, innovation and collaboration in the business community,” Bielmeier said. “The new Makery Coworking offers opportunities for connecting, knowledge sharing and education that will benefit the town and the region, socially and economically. We’re very excited to have them here.”
The Makery Coworking building, built in 1904, has been home to many retail outlets in the past several years. The most recent occupant was a pop-up store created by The Green Spot of New Milford. Vengrove asked the owners to leave behind some of their inventory to display on the many beautiful built-in shelves that adorn Makery’s perimeter walls.
“We’re excited to use our display cases to showcase the amazing works of local makers, creators and entrepreneurs,” Vengrove said. “A big part of our mission is to advocate for the startup community and we plan to actively blog about the impressive entrepreneurs that call the Northwest Corner home.”
Downstairs, two barn-style doors were custom built from 200-year-old “pumpkin pine” sourced from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, by Len Robbins of The Sliding Barn Door Company. They separate the large conference room from other work space and the kitchenette, which provides bottomless coffee.
The building itself provides some of the character accents, with tin ceilings and an exposed stone-and-brick foundation wall that one client has already reserved as a background for a photo shoot.
The bust of Shakespeare near the front entrance was in Vengrove’s father’s office when he was an advertising executive. The bust recently sported a Santa hat, but Vengrove plans to change it out for the various seasons, including knit caps that a local business is producing.
Makery Coworking will also offer several events during the year to encourage entrepreneurship and creative works of all kinds. But just as important, Vengrove said the space and its offerings will adapt based on the needs of the people who rent space there.
“I believe New Milford and the region is home to some of the most creative people in the state,” Vengrove said. “But we don’t always know what everyone is doing because they’re all hiding out in their houses. Makery Coworking is a place of inspiration to instigate creativity and change in the area. It’s fluid and flexible. I want the people who join our community to help shape the direction and our future.”