When The Fellow, a co-working space located in East Manhattan, announced it would be closing it’s doors earlier this year, Peter Frasco of Intelligent Integration Technologies and Jennifer Livingood of Leads Pet Care, who were both long-time members of the space, knew they’d be needing a new location to host their businesses. Jennifer shared that they were drawn to co-working spaces because they “provide professional relationships and an office community that might otherwise be missed out on when working from home.”
Pete Frasco and Jennifer Livingood, center, at the ribbon cutting The Local Desk, joined by Carrie Frasco (left) and MiKaela Knehans (right).
While there were other co-working spaces in town, both Peter and Jennifer had businesses with specific needs that couldn’t have been fulfilled elsewhere. Additionally, Jennifer shares, “We weren’t quite ready to give up co-working within the community. We truly treasured the atmosphere and relationships we made there.” For them, it only made sense to start a space together, so they opened The Local Desk in March of 2022. Co-owning this business provided them the ease of dividing expenses while also sharing amenities. The bonus? They could also extend their space to other small businesses and remote workers so they too could have affordable office space in a co-working environment.
The Local Desk is a unique co-working space for the Manhattan area in that it offers the trifecta of work-spaces: dedicated office space, open work areas, and a conference room. Not only that, but their location is prime, being adjacent to Radina’s on the Hill, as well as other restaurants and coffee shops only minutes away.
The Local Desk offers a bright and clean co-working atmosphere in Manhattan.
Being a business-owner that serves a niche, Jennifer wisely shared for fellow entrepreneurs: “Your business won’t be the right fit for every potential client, and that’s ok. Sometimes as business owners we get so focused on profit and people pleasing, that we forget to set boundaries which leads to personal and professional struggles. Know your worth, and know you can’t serve everyone.”
Their heart and focus is clearly for the entrepreneurial community, as, looking to the future, they hope to see their members grow and expand their businesses, even if that means out-growing the space at The Local Desk. “We understand that some might use The Desk as a temporary solution and that’s great, as we truly want to see our members grow and expand their businesses. Who knows, we may grow and need a larger space too!”
If you’re a small business owner, startup founder or remote employee working in Manhattan and want to get out of your house and find focused work space, feel free to schedule a tour at The Local Desk. “The Desk still has room for more members, and we love to meet new people! We are always looking to expand our small community and are happy to show off the space (even if it’s more out of curiosity than anything else).”
See more about their space over on their website at: https://localdeskmhk.com and be sure to follow them on Facebook here.
