Sep. 28—SCRANTON — Alisa Scarantino views Urban Co-Works as an outlet for expanding her small business and left impressed after a walk through the facility.
Scarantino, co-owner of Inner Spark Wellness, joined approximately 20 other guests during a networking event, featuring a tour of the business center at 116 N. Washington Ave., Thursday morning.
The Dunmore resident launched Inner Spark — geared toward functional and lifestyle medicine — with Caitlyn Rivero of Throop about seven months ago and seeks a more visible location for the now virtual business.
"It could be a good opportunity for us to rent some space to host events or office space until we get our own building," said Scarantino, 46. "It's a good location and there is ample parking. It's much grander than I was envisioning."
Scarantino believes establishing a presence in the downtown Scranton coworking hub will help grow her business.
"We want to get our message out there that there is a better way to live," she said. "We're different than the traditional health care model. We like to encompass the body, mind and soul. We treat the whole person."
Coworking is a work model where people from different businesses share an office space and amenities.
Jeff Goronkin, CEO of Urban Co-Works, which also has a location in Schenectady, New York, hopes to hold a soft opening for the Scranton location in mid- to late October.
"There has been overwhelming interest," he said. "The pandemic really highlighted the need for flexible office environments. I'm very anxious to see it come to life. There are so many opportunities for people to collaborate."
Urban Co-Works will feature nearly 60 private offices, a coworking area with 20 workspaces, conference rooms and meeting rooms. Other amenities include high-speed internet, Zen rooms, a coworking lounge with couches, private phone booths, and a kitchen area with unlimited coffee and water.
A variety of membership levels from part time to full time are available. The company also rents conference rooms by the hour, and offers day passes and virtual business mail services. Pricing information is available at urbancoworks.com.
Leslie Collins, president and CEO of Scranton Tomorrow, a nonprofit community and economic development organization, feels Urban Co-Works fills a void in the city and beyond.
"It's going to be an incredible asset to the downtown business district," she said. "It brings a whole new concept to Scranton. We're a hub for remote workers and we all know working from home isn't always the best scenario. This gives remote workers an opportunity to network, feel like part of the community, and get out of their home workspaces."