CoCo, our favorite coworking and collaborative space (both myself and my colleague Phil Wilson are members), has just announced it will open a new location this September in 
“the booming Uptown neighborhood of Minneapolis“… and I would add the adjectives “extremely” and “hip” to that. The news was announced late this afternoon at a special happy hour gathering of members — just called this morning — at CoCo in downtown Minneapolis. The Uptown location will be the third for the three-year-old CoCo organization. [Wait, let me get the calculator — that’s one per year! ] The other sites are the original one in Lowertown St. Paul and the second on the trading floor at the historic Minneapolis Grain Exchange, which opened in late 2011. And, if you’re a member, you can frequent any of the sites.
CoCo Uptown will be located at 1010 West Lake Street, between Hennepin and Lyndale Avenues, and at the junction of Lake Street, Lagoon Street, and the Greenway bike path. “This is an ideal location for many reasons,” said CoCo founding partner Kyle Coolbroth. “We’re close to public transportation and within four blocks of dozens of restaurants, pubs, and coffee shops.”
Artist rendering of the main room at CoCo Uptown.
Formerly an auto repair shop, the 15,000-square-foot space is being completely renovated over the summer. ”We get to start with a blank slate, so we’re taking the opportunity to create surprising new features and valuable amenities for our members,” said CoCo founding partner Don Ball.
Some of those features include:
• The “Garage” – a 3,500-square-foot open space devoted to ideation, prototyping, and presentations for groups up to 100
• A small tap room with craft brews (hold your cheers!)
• A small movie theater, for presentations and pitches
• A billiard room that doubles as a meeting room
• A walkout patio, located within a beautiful green space
• Two large conference rooms
• Seven private booths for phone calls and demos
• A commons area that can be used for 100-person events and meetups
With 160 seats, the new CoCo location will also provide plenty of room for coworking, as well as 24 dedicated desks and nine “campsites,” which seat four to six people each. We know a big question for those of you who drive these things called “cars” (like me, call me crazy) will be parking at the new location, so watch for more information on that forthcoming.
Artist rendering of the Lounge, one of the six meeting spaces at CoCo Uptown.
Although construction is just getting underway, CoCo is already taking reservations for campsites, with preference given to current CoCo members.
About “The Garage”
The Garage is a large open space designed for groups that want to do deep work in strategic planning, ideation, and product or service development. It will be available for fully hosted and facilitated experiences of one-day, three-day or one-week durations. The Garage can also be reserved for self-led groups. In addition to an inspiring environment, basic amenities at the Garage will include work tables and seating, a stage with projection and sound systems, as well as extensive ideation and prototyping supplies.
CoCo Uptown will feature a private patio, located amidst a larger greenspace.
About CoCo
CoCo is a place where entrepreneurs, freelance professionals, small businesses, and corporate workgroups can gather to work, share ideas and team up on projects. For our members, CoCo is an alternative to working from home or meeting at the local coffee shop. CoCo has locations in Lowertown St. Paul and in downtown Minneapolis, on the former trading floor of the Minneapolis Grain Exchange. For more information, see the web site.
Congratulations to Don, Kyle, and the entire CoCo team on an amazing three years so far! We look forward to the opening of the Uptown site. See you there!