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2 Ten Main, 210 E Main St. Suite 201, opened its doors to the Niles community in February. (Maxwell Harden | Leader Publications)

2 Ten Main, 210 E Main St. Suite 201, opened its doors to the Niles community in February. (Maxwell Harden | Leader Publications)

2 Ten Main, 210 E Main St. Suite 201, opened its doors to the Niles community in February. (Maxwell Harden | Leader Publications)

2 Ten Main, 210 E Main St. Suite 201, opened its doors to the Niles community in February. (Maxwell Harden | Leader Publications)

2 Ten Main, 210 E Main St. Suite 201, opened its doors to the Niles community in February. (Maxwell Harden | Leader Publications)

NILES — A unique coworking space that recently opened in downtown Niles is adapting to recent changes in the way people work.

2 Ten Main, 210 E Main St. Suite 201, opened its doors to the Niles community in February. Niles’ newest coworking center offers private offices, meeting rooms, a kitchen, collaborative spaces and more for freelancers, entrepreneurs, small teams and people working from home seeking an environment to foster creativity or wanting to connect with professionals with similar interests. 

Members are able to lease these spaces on a temporary or semi-permanent basis, though a membership is not needed to rent on an as-needed basis. The space can also host events, workshops, and networking events at the location.

According to Hoyt and Site Manager Cara Poelstra, the growing coworking space industry is a response to the increased demand of hybrid or flexible work situations. More than 17 business entities have rented 2 Ten Main facilities to date. 

“This is turnkey,” Poelstra said. “If you want to have a meeting with somebody, you have a great space that looks nice and you don’t have to do anything. You don’t have to be at home, you don’t have to worry about kids or dogs. You’re good to go.”

With high-speed internet, comfortable seating and a supportive community, 2 Ten Main aims to provide tenants with everything needed to stay productive and inspired. 

“We just decided as a business model to pivot and make this space communal,” Hoyt said. “This model has been around for a while, but in this market this is new, especially coming out of COVID. We decided to figure out something different and make this a great space for people and businesses where office space is too costly for what they’re trying to accomplish and meet that need at a minimal cost but at a higher level of facility.”

Members and guests using the facility get to experience a taste of local history. The lobby space features a large image of the original Main Street Bridge produced by Next Gen Graphics. Each office room in 2 Ten Main is named after a historic aspect of the city, including the “Candy Corner” featuring historic photos of Veni’s Sweet Shop and the “Fire Station” room highlighting historical photos of the Niles Fire Department.

“I love highlighting Niles history,” Poelstra. “We have a very rich history that a lot of people don’t know about, so I love emphasizing that.”

For Hoyt, 2 Ten Main is also a space where businesses and entrepreneurs alike can network, collaborate and build community.

“We’re making the networking and the possibilities for what our future looks like,” Hoyt said. The ability to help each other be successful in this community is what we’re about.”

According to Poelstra, the community’s response has been positive.

“One of our goals has always been to create opportunities for people to talk and get together,” she said. “It builds community; we all know each other, we recognize each other’s faces. It’s just a nice plus.”

Both Hoyt and Poelstra are excited to contribute to downtown Niles’ positive momentum with their new endeavor.

“If we can fill a void or a need, we’ll do that and that’s been huge as we watch the evolution of what’s happening in our community and actually being part of that evolution,” Hoyt said. “A year ago, we were just sitting back as a landlord and now with this facility we’re one of the supporting mechanisms to continue to be part of whatever this community is going to look like. We’re really excited about that and we have hope that the future is bright as we continue to develop relationships to keep this community resurgence going.”

For more information on how to rent space or acquire a membership, visit 2tenmain.com or call at (269) 266-3337.

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