Judo expert tumbles into digital economy
WATERLOO — Roman Hatashita and his son Michi walk through the historic former bank building, pointing out renovations that will transform it into a funky co-working space for startups and designers.
“Pretty much everything from top to bottom is being redone,” Roman says while walking through the main floor of 1 King. St. N., which most recently housed Hatashita Diamond Centre, a jewelry store his father, John Hatashita, operated in 2015.
“We are halfway through and it is looking good actually.”
Rising above Roman and Michi is a 20-foot high ceiling. Roman gestures to the area near the front door, and talks about the coffee shop that will be located there. Chesterfields and tables will fill the rest of the room.
“We are trying to create more of a coffee-shop community on the main floor,” Roman says.
The second floor of the 5,000square-foot building will have desks for co-working members. The third will have offices. Every floor has lots of natural light and a bathroom. There will be a shower for cyclists and an on-site laundry.
“I have gutted the entire building,” says Roman. “It has turned into quite a big project.”
Roman calls the business One King North and plans to open later this summer with monthly memberships starting at $239. A website is coming, but email (info@1kingnorth.ca) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/OneKingWorks/) accounts are up.
The plan is for members to work in the space whenever they want. They can enjoy coffee, snacks and beer on Fridays. Roman, who believes this will be the first co-working space in uptown Waterloo, is marketing space to individual tech workers, designers and startups.
“We believe there is a demand
for it, there is a need for it,” he says.
Getting the building ready for a digital makeover required a big upgrade in its Internet connection. Roman says the upgraded service will cost more than $1,000 a month.
“You know what is strange? Waterloo does not have fibre, whereas the little towns all around Waterloo have fibre,” he says. “It will cost me thousands to get the fibre to this building to service all the people working here.”
Built in 1924 for the Bank of Toronto, the building is listed on the City of Waterloo’s register of historically significant buildings. Its style is called renaissance revival.
“It is right over King Street. There are bars, theatres, restaurants, the LRT is right here,” Roman says, looking out the second-floor windows above the busy intersection of King and Erb streets. “The location is great.”
After the bank closed, the building housed a shop specializing in computer books. Roman’s father moved his jewelry store into the building in 1998. The store closed in the fall of 2015 and Roman bought the building from his father about a year ago.
The Hatashitas have a long history of entrepreneurship.
In addition to the jewelry shop, John Hatashita also ran several other businesses in uptown Waterloo. He started with a store that sold posters, candles and purple light bulbs to young people. He also had a store that sold sailing equipment and accessories. For years he had a small chain of stores that sold women’s clothing.
John also operated a judo studio. It’s where Roman learned the martial art from his father. Roman won a place on the 1992 Canadian Olympic judo team, and later bought a business from his uncle that supplies judo uniforms and equipment.
“Judo was sort of a family pastime,” says Roman. “That is sort of my main business.”