Leavenworth Community Workspace: supporting a community and its visitors

LEAVENWORTH - Since 2015, the Leavenworth Community Workspace has slowly fostered a community of local members while also catering to visitors.

“Small town coworking spaces I think are hard to find, or maybe hard to be sustainable. But maybe the reason this one is successful is because it's just the right size. There's enough people here that will either work remotely or can afford to have an office space,” said founder Matt Bowen.

The casual space operates on an automated system, allowing members and day pass users to sign up online with 24/7 access. Members can choose between full-time access to the common areas, or opt for a designated desk in a semi-private workspace. Leavenworth Community Workspace also offers flexibility from one-time to semi-frequent use, offering a day pass, a 10-visit punch card, and a three-tiers of drop-ins per month: five, ten, or fifteen.

The idea for the workspace originated when Bowen had a personal need for a workspace free of distractions. At the time, he was doing marketing for Icicle Brewing Company.

“I was at a computer mostly, and working down at the bar, and it's a little difficult to be creative at a bar…I really couldn't work from home either. It was the same sort of distraction,” said Bowen.

Bowen had a few friends with a similar dilemma, which sparked the idea of renting an office to share with each other. However, they couldn’t find an affordable space for everyone to commit to. When he shared his experience with a friend working in Seattle, she told him about coworking spaces in the city. 

Bowen found the space downtown, and started building from the ground up. He bought IKEA furniture, built desks, and eventually installed conference rooms. 

“People seem thankful for it. I definitely have members who say they don't know what they would do if this wasn't here,” said Bowen.

For many years, the space survived on members alone. However, during and after the pandemic, Bowen started to see a drop in members due to job loss, companies cutting costs, or requiring employees to return to the office. At that time, Bowen updated the space to allow for drop-ins. Now, the workspace sees about eight to ten visitors a month from long-term visitors and those extending their weekends.

“It slowly just started growing like you would hope, it's never taken off… I've always had another full time job. I've always called this more my community service,” said Bowen.

Over the past ten years, Bowen’s responsibilities have grown elsewhere, running a business as a contractor and raising two young children. While he plans to continue to keep the space running for its members, he’s hoping to pass the baton onto someone new.

“I still would love to see a new energy injected into the space. I think a new ownership, or something would be key, especially if you were able to start hosting more events and stuff down here,” said Bowen.

Taylor Caldwell: 509-433-7276 or taylor@ward.media