Instead of working alone, independent workers—freelancers, contractors, independent consultants and temps—are increasingly joining co-working spaces. These are collaborative work environments where independents can rent desk and meeting space down to the hour. Roughly like a gym membership, at co-working spaces, you pack your laptop instead of your sweats.
In Oakland, 2012 is the boom year for formally expanding the prevailing cubicle-centered notions of work and worker archetypes. By the end of the year, Oakland will have at least four formal co-working spaces.
Tech Liminal, Oakland’s first formal co-working space, is wedged between a tattoo shop and a fabric store on 14th street near Alice. Founded in 2009 by Anca Mosoiu, this technology hotspot and salon is frequented by novice web developers, entrepreneurs interested in tech, and “DIY-ers.”
Tech Liminal is part of a rising national trend. Last year, the number of co-working locations more than doubled to 1,320 according to the co-working magazine Deskwanted.
