From Coworking To Retail, A Chicago Space Wants To Give Innovators A Home Base

An empty spot at Water Tower Place could get new life as a coworking space, offering retail space for entrepreneurs and makers to sell their stuff to curious shoppers. Washington, D.C.-based startup CoworkAtTheMall.com is putting desks, meeting rooms and event space in a 12,000-square-foot location at the Magnificent Mile mall that was most recently occupied by Sports Authority. A space at the front of the facility will be used to test the market for products from local entrepreneurs and national brands that are primarily sold online. The company can provide data on how customers interact with products, which could be helpful information for both the sellers and potential investors, said CoworkAtTheMall.com managing partner Mark Kennedy. “It’s a full, holistic ecosystem for retail,” said Kennedy, who has a background in private equity and commercial real estate. “A Naperville entrepreneur could get a membership and get guidance on business decisions from marketing to insurance, and an allotted amount of time to put products on the shelf at the front of the store.” Read more at Chicago Tribune.