Coworking in Atlanta: Ignition Alley
I have a lot of random goals for 2012, some of which may make me rich beyond my most wildest of dreams (LOL… not.) and many of which are simply for general interest and personal development.
One of them is to visit experience all of the Atlanta-based Coworking spots and give them a try. I’ve already tried a handful of them but I have yet to commit to one in terms of a membership. I finally threw down some cash (not too much actually) for Ignition Alley, a coworking spot that’s literally a mile and a half from my home.
Started by three guys, one whom I went to school with and lived in a dorm across from mine our 2nd year, it’s a comfy spot just east of downtown on Ponce de Leon and across the street from the Ford Factory (where I lived my final year at school!). I can’t seem to escape this side of town, seriously!
And before I go any further I want to answer a question that many of you will probably want to ask me: Why are you spending money on an “office” space when you have another office and a functional home office setup? The answer to that is simple: I can’t work from home all the time or that would drive my wife and I insane and my startup office is a 45 minute drive one way so that’s not always fun. I need to change my environment consistently and this is a way to maximize my productivity during working hours.
Cool? Yeah. Very cool.
But the sheer convenience of it’s location put it on my radar very early on and I finally had the opportunity to drop on by this morning. Here’s a somewhat pictorial walkthrough of my first experience at the spot:
Parking is ample at this place and I was able to easily park on the side. What a beautiful view of the Atlanta skyline.
If there was ever a question of what you “could” expect with it being in this side of town then this picture should give you an idea:
Just kidding! This town is safe, but I literally LOL’d when I saw this.
Located at 750 Ponce de Leon Place it’s got a lot of restaurants (some hella-good pizza) and even a Whole Foods one block away.
Since it was my first time I needed to get my keycard for access so I punched the outside keypad for initial access:
Simple enough. Walking in it was pleasant and I headed to the back.
I walked in and was greeted by a pleasant (and quiet) atmosphere.
Ample desks and sitting spots as well as a sitting area with a couch and a few reclined chairs. A smaller room for team meetings perhaps and one large and one small whiteboard.
They even have a small locker room that you can rent for $10 a month to keep things overnight. I immediately grabbed a spot and hopped online as I surveyed my surroundings.
Ignition's speed.
Not too shabby. I felt right at home and it was easy to get comfortable.
I introduced myself to “Tim” who was there when it opened (at 7:00am every day) who is part of a 5-man startup team who use the space for their office.
Finally I jumped online to check out the internet speed. It wasn’t too bad although my home connection is a bit faster, especially on the download speed. There was only one more person in the spot so I was surprised that the download speed was so small considering they advertise a 50/10Mbps DOCSIS 3.0.
I got a need...
It is cable though so perhaps it was getting hammered by others this morning. Again, for comparison, here’s my home office speed:
Overall I’m going to try out Ignition Alley for a month or two and see how it fits. The sign-up process was simple and getting in was a breeze. Things look good so far.
In fact, the sheer convenience of it’s location might be the deciding factor for me in the long-run but we’ll have to see.
I’m excited to test it out as well as many of the others around the metro Atlanta area!
I'll see you next year... literally!
What are your thoughts on coworking? Do you have any great spots local to you?
Thanks Ignition Alley for a great first experience!
If you’re looking for other spots I’ve covered check these locations out!
Ignition Alley seems pretty darn sweet and I wish there were one in the Philly suburbs!
The only comparable spot in my area would be Starbucks, but as we all know, you really can’t “spread out” and get a whole lot done in a noisy coffee shop, on a 3 foot wide round table. Every time I go to Starbucks, I work for like 15 minutes and spend the rest of the time drinking coffee and people-watching… Doh!!
I wish there was a place like this around me!
… i want to start my own, to be honest…..
Starbucks seems to be the norm here too unless you want to drive 45 minutes into Nashville. Although I was just talking about this with a few friends last night. Could be a good startup idea for my team. Love the photos!
seriously killer startup idea…
I’m intrigued by these kinds of places. We definitely need one like that here in Tallahassee. We’ve got lots of buildings that would be a good spot for one. There is a franchise here, but I don’t know of any independent ones. And I’m with you – I need to get a place that I can get to quickly where I can get away from the house! Now I just need a start up so I can have a start up office
there has to be a place in Tallahassee… right?
More than 20 years ago, I tried something like this for a very short period instead of working 24/7 at home. I discovered that I missed my fridge and had no real outlet for releasing pent-up restless energy without feeling self-conscious about causing a distraction to others. I ended up sharing office space with my father for a bit, which was great because he really was never there. Eventually though, I just stayed home growing tired of the travel time to and fro. Sometimes I would work (write) at the local university library, which was much less sterile than the public library. Good luck!
local library… hmm.
Love the space and the idea of having different places to work. The idea of having different environments for different places is so good. I also agree that it is good to get out of the house so as to keep a healthy marriage.
seriously helps with marriage
Talk to Mike Schinkel sometime. He got the co-working space rolling in Atlanta, talking about it late 2008. Tim Dorr (GT alum and founder of A Small Orange, since acquired) and Schinkel partnered on Ignition Alley. Also, I hope you’ll visit Strongbox West, 151 Locust, Hub Atlanta (open, but targets triple bottom line social capital market co-workers), and the totally amazing co-working hacker space in West End, Freeside, founded by a couple of Google guys including Ken Wehr who has since moved to NY). We visited and filmed Freeside a couple of years ago. They have free classes in things like welding! http://vimeo.com/7544802 Great post, John.
awesome! i will!
Looks like a pretty cool setup. If I ever had the opportunity to work from home I may try to find a place like this just to be able to get out of the house. For now the office is were I head into every day…
*yawn* …
I’ve never heard of co-working so thank you so much for sharing. I’m definitely more productive away from home…I think my inner critics live in the closets. Anyway, I’m in Atlanta as well and I’m always looking for a Starbucks alternative. I was pretty hyped when Dunkin’ Donuts got WiFi.
sure thing! it’s pretty sweet.
Ignition Alley seems awesome. They really tailored it to make a comfortable work environment, and I would definitely not mind working from there.
it’s a decent place. it could use a bit of interior design love.
I am sure the constatina barbed wire gave it that homey feel.
…
It would be a cool idea if someone bought an old, small prison and converted it into a coworking place.
Each client would have their own cell block to work out of, and of course the open areas could be for those who still want to be surrounded by others and have that open feel.
You could even offer them to have their own cell block number for a postal address.
The ideas of what you could do with the place are endless, and I won’t bore everyone with all my mind mutations.
As a matter of fact, I bet there is some coworking going on in some of the real prisons right now.
now that is pretty darn dope…!
John, just saw on Twitter that yet another co-working space is opening in early ’12 for SW Atlanta and South Fulton residents @SphereATL. Also, @theworkspot is one I haven’t heard of previously.
One neat thing at Strongbox West. They have a dog
The best argument for co-working is gets you out your apartment or house and into a collaborative environment where you can bounce ideas off others, get technical help, and make new friends, etc. The toughest part is making a CW space profitable when competing with free spaces like Octane, Starbucks, even McDonalds.
sweet! i’m going to check those out!
Not in ATL and I don’t work from home BUT it is a part of my 4 year plan. I am eyeing The DC Hive (http://www.thedchive.com/) as the office away from the home office location.
cool. thanks for these links vajaah.
I love the idea of coworking occasionally to break the slow madness of working solely from home. (http://blog.davidtate.org/2011/09/how-to-work-from-home-without-going-insane-purple-monkey-dishwasher/)
I just found out and tried out “The Box” which is the only real option for those of us in Northwest Atlanta ‘burbs. In Marietta on square in cool old mill building with exposed stone/brick. Recommended:
“The BOX”
http://thinkinsidehere.com/
@theBOX_Marietta
ah, i’ll have to check this out…..!
First of all, thank you for all the tips on your blog, they have really helped me get started.
I had been working from home for a number of years and while the experience is great, PJ’s and coffee while talking to smartly-dressed bankers made me very ‘excited’, it got tired and made me crazy. I needed a separate space to call an office.
All my friends thought I was looney for investing in the rent of a cheap unused office during the Greek financial crisis, but my productivity has gone up and I am happier in all senses of the word. I found a great space on the top floor of an old ‘open-air’ shopping mall with a great view and very close to my wife’s business, so we car pool and save and are productive.
A win-win situation all around.
Cheers from
Halandri in Athens Greece.
sure thing! do awesome this year!
I started a coworking space called theBOX in Downtown Marietta. It may not be local enough to the Atlanta zip code for you, but I’d love you to check it out. I’ll also be happy to give you and anyone reading this article a few free days to test drive it. I’m so glad someone is writing about coworking!
now that would be awesome!
Stellar spot!
My hubby and I just bought a pretty large house (no more 2 bedroom condo!)…any tips on home officing? Should I grab one of the bedrooms for my office, the basement?
Excited!
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