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Fernie Chamber signs lease for co-working space
The Fernie Chamber of Commerce board of directors has voted to sign a lease for the organization’s long-planned co-working space in downtown Fernie.
The resolution was passed by the board at its regular meeting on Thursday, January 9.
The Fernie Chamber of Commerce will take possession of the site located at 342 2nd Avenue on April 1, 2020 with a view to opening the co-working space to the public shortly thereafter.
The announcement comes after a lot of groundwork from the Fernie Chamber of Commerce, starting with the commission of a feasibility study for the project which was completed in July 2017. The feasibility study demonstrated a strong demand for a co-working space in Fernie, which has only appeared to grow since then.
Co-working spaces are flexible working solutions utilized by those who like to travel and work remotely, who may traditionally work from home, who are start-ups and can’t afford a traditional office lease, and by those who want to be surrounded by like-minded entrepreneurial people.
The Fernie Chamber of Commerce envisages the space as a hub for business innovation, collaboration and learning with workshops and other professional development opportunities on offer.
Several co-working spaces already exist in the Kootenays including in Cranbrook, Invermere, Revelstoke and Nelson.
The building that the Fernie Chamber is taking over for this project is the current home of the Fernie Free Press.
The Fernie Chamber and the Free Press are currently in negotiations for the Free Press to stay on in its current historical location as a founding anchor tenant for the new co-working space. An announcement on this arrangement, as well as a tentative opening date for the co-working space will be forthcoming at a later date.
Lead image: A message painted on the wall in Cranbrook’s Ground Floor Co-working Space at 131-7th Avenue S. e-KNOW file photo
Fernie Chamber of Commerce
