Black-owned workspace has soulfulness with networking
At the Miami Gardens workspace Co-Space, the energy is more similar to the welcoming vibe of a close family member’s house than a stuffy office environment where people tap away at their laptops all day in silence.
The lighting is warm, the walls are painted in calming neutral tones and smooth R&B music plays in the background. That’s just what Co-Space founder Joy St. Clair wanted.
“I was one of those people looking for a place like this and couldn’t find it,” she said. “My mind was made up, and I decided that I was going to make the place. As I was building this place and this idea, people have been finding me.”
St. Clair, 37, grew up in Liberty City and later graduated from South Miami Senior High School’s magnet program. During the pandemic, she worked remotely as a project manager while pregnant. Having survived Non-Hodgkin lymphoma, she didn’t feel comfortable being in close contact with other workers. She remembered how her days seemed to move too fast as she worked from her laptop at home.
When she was ready to explore coworking spaces again, she found there wasn’t one that resonated with her as a Black professional, so she thought about building her ideal workspace. St. Clair wanted her business in Miami Gardens because of its large Black community. Now a Miramar resident, she remembered visiting Miami Gardens before it was formally incorporated as a city and always appreciated seeing its successful Black businesses. Working as a project manager sharpened St. Clair’s ability to bring an idea to fruition. After consulting with a real estate agent and assessing her budget, she found a location in a Miami Gardens strip mall full of Black businesses and knew she was onto something. Its location at 17560 NW 27th Ave. makes it a short drive away from parts of Miami.
Co-Space had a soft opening last February and officially opened in May. Eight months later, the workspace has 18 regular members, two student members and one corporate membership serving 12 employees. Some of them drive to Co-Space from as far away as Plantation or Homestead.
Miami Gardens resident and visual artist Artesia Brown, 36, often works from Co-Space and believes the soulful ambiance allows her to work better. Details like the music selection, which ranges from Chaka Khan classics to smooth jazz versions of Trick Daddy songs, remind her that the space was created with her as a Black professional in mind.
“It’s really cultivated for us,” she said. “With the music playing in the background, that represents some of the better parts of what we are culturally and how creative we are. You’re in a space of people like us who want to be better and get the best part of what life has to offer. It’s a very infectious and fun energy.”
Brown and St. Clair met one day last spring as Brown was finishing up some artwork in her sketchbook at Co-Space. St. Clair mentioned how much she liked her work, and the two began talking about inequities in the art world that keep Black artists from showcasing their work.
That same week, St. Clair built a gallery in the back of the workspace for Black artists like Brown to sell and showcase their work. Brown remembers feeling surprised when her first piece sold the same day it was put on display.
“That’s happened for a couple of people that put their work in that space,” Brown said. “You feel like someone is taking you seriously, and you can appreciate the other artists put on display in the gallery because they’re being taken seriously. As artists, we don’t get to see people like us represented. Art is typically a luxury, and I’m glad that in Co-Space it’s a necessity. It’s a space designated for cultivation. It’s there for us.”