Virus forces Makery ‘hiatus’

Co-working space closing — for now

NEW MILFORD — The Makery — a co-working space for freelancers and independent employees — at 20 Bank St. is taking a “hiatus” in the new year after taking a hard hit hard from the pandemic, according to its founder, Tony Vengrove.

Space once filled by a “coffeeshop buzz” has dulled to silence, according to Vengrove, and all of its members have to find a new working space now.

“We’re on hiatus for a couple of months. ... It’s always been a struggle to make the revenue. ... I needed to pay all the bills,” Vengrove said.

The business — which opened in 2017 — is out of commission until it can find a smaller, moresuitable space.

Vengrove, 53, regrets being unable to see his goals come to fruition, at least for now. He gave himself a three-year deadline to make the business successful back in 2017. He was beginning to see the pieces come together in 2019.

“While we were finally making it work by the end of 2019, COVID just completely wrecked our business model and revenue model,” Vengrove said.

He watched his revenue and membership take a significant hit between March and December. Pre-COVID-19, anywhere between 10-18 people worked in the space on any given day, but now only about five people use the space, according to Vengrove.

Denise Watson — a member

of The Makery for over a year — says Vengrove created an innovative think tank that was much more than sharing a desk or space with someone, he built a sense of community. She will miss The Makery’s “hum” of hardwork.

Vengrove figured — with his lease coming to a close in January and COVID cases surging — it is best to avoid signing another lease. Finding a

smaller space would allow him to make the co-working portion of the business self-sustainable in time, he hopes.

Vengrove worked with his members to help them find nearby co-working spaces and offices to work out of in the interim. He is checking out a few new locations — including another on Bank Street — and aims to re-open the business in April 2021. He hopes to keep the business in New Milford because he is a “vested believer” in the town.