In the last year, the working place landscape has changed dramatically: office spaces were moved to living rooms, business meetings remotely held in kitchens, and barking dogs and crying babies are heard in nearly all conference calls. For this growing population of people in the workforce that have been moved to remotely working from home, the daily work distractions and the notion of not putting on pants has been a difficult adjustment. The sudden need to rearrange the living room or tackle the upstairs’ closet instead of doing end-of-year spreadsheets, has plagued the newly-working-from home. Some have found productivity in cafés and restaurants, or anywhere with an okay Wi-Fi connection for their Zoom meetings and conference calls. While technology is keeping up with the transitions, the centuries-old practice of going into the office hasn’t died in the human heart. That is why Paradise Park, Gainesville’s new co-workspace, has come to us at the perfect time!
New Workspace in Gainesville
On Thursday, January 14th, the community welcomed its new comfortable and safe workspace to downtown Gainesville. The space offers a three-tiered membership program, providing all of the same luxuries as your local coffee shop, without the noise and distractions. They provide both desk-and-chair and comfy couch seating options as well as outdoor patio seating. They provide high-speed Wi-Fi, printing and free parking as well as an in-house express café. By night, their 1,200 square foot event space will host various events like cooking classes or can be rented by the public for special events and parties.
Paradise Park is the brainchild of UF graduate and local entrepreneur, Jasmine Jones. She calls it “a curated vibe for you to work, grown and thrive.” Jones is community-driven and obsessed with strengthening and enriching Gainesville’s small businesses. At their grand opening event last Thursday, Jones gave a moving presentation where she recognized young entrepreneurs in the Gainesville area. She opened Paradise Park with the vision that it will encourage innovation and creativity in new and old entrepreneurs alike.
With the affordable pricing and convenient location, Paradise Park is a welcoming space for all people whether they have been displaced from the office or are just starting their new business. The workspace provides a quiet professional environment void of barking dogs and crying babies and has become a 9-5 reason to put on pants.
Author: Laura Parrinello