Ellington

Creative Distillery hasn't quite finished setting up its new office on the third floor of Banner Hall. A few walls are still awaiting paint and an empty corner in the kitchen needs a refrigerator. But Melia Dicker points to high ceilings and big windows that will make the new space an environment to encourage creativity.

At an open house last night, Dicker--who owns the design and branding company with her husband, Darren Schwindaman, and Gillian Burgess--showed off Creative Distillery's side of the office, then moved down the hall to the "coworking" space, where modern, white desks are spaced evenly against the walls in a bright blue room.

About half their new office area upstairs in Banner Hall is available for rent, but not as a typical office setting. Creative Distillery wants to introduce Jackson to coworking, where people rent desks on a monthly basis and work alongside other professionals instead of setting up shop in a home office, a rented room or a noisy coffee house.

Dicker said coworking is already taking off in big cities like New York or San Francisco, and working in a shared office gives creative professionals an opportunity to kick around ideas, get feedback on projects and network.

"It's a collaborative, inspiring environment," she said.

Coworking gives an added advantage to freelancers and people just starting their own business, since having an office lends professionalism, credibility and an address they can put on a business card. The conference room also gives renters a space to bring clients and hold meetings away from a home office.

"There's a big difference in saying 'I work from home' versus 'I work in Banner Hall,'" Dicker said.

Renters also share kitchen space, printers and access to the roof. Of course, if they find themselves in need of branding, design or copywriting services, Creative Distillery is right at the end of the hall.

If you spend much time in Jackson, there's a good chance you've seen some of the design and communication company's work. Creative Distillery designed the website for Cups Espresso Cafe and High Noon Cafe's "No Bull" ads that ran in the print version of the Jackson Free Press. Schwindaman was formerly a graphic designer for the Jackson Free Press.

Dicker said the coworking space is something she wishes was available when Creative Distillery was just starting out.

"It's time for Jackson to have a coworking and creative space," she said.

For information or to contact Creative Distillery, visit them at creative-distillery.com.

Previous Comments

ID

165574

Comment

Thank you for the great story! We're very excited to bring our dream of creative coworking to Jackson, in a space as inspiring and community-oriented as Banner Hall.

Author

melia.dicker

Date

2011-12-09T13:41:53-06:00

ID

165577

Comment

Built over a coffee shop + bakery, a bookstore, a salon, etc.... smart move! ;-)

Author

Todd Stauffer

Date

2011-12-09T15:57:37-06:00

ID

165580

Comment

This is a very cool idea. Banner Hall sounds like a great space to test it out as well.

Author

RobbieR

Date

2011-12-12T09:51:12-06:00

ID

165651

Comment

Todd and Robbie, you're right about the full-service nature of Banner Hall! Good eats, good books, and good looks. :)

Author

melia.dicker

Date

2011-12-28T11:26:54-06:00