CORDAROY’S FUN LINE OF BEANBAGS IS REDEFINING OFFICE SPACES.
When most people think of an office space, they might think of cubicles, offices and people in dress pants. With the advent of the millennial generation into the workplace, however, typical office spaces have been changing. Millennial-age offices sport shuffleboards and beanbags, and they pride themselves on creating a unique work space.
Local entrepreneur and owner of New Scooters 4 Less Collin Austin designed the offices at the company’s Northwest 13th Street location with these concepts in mind. The showroom is lined with the expected scooters, but it also features six beanbags, a chalk wall and a shelf full of board games. Because the new location only recently opened, the office spaces in the back are a work in progress; however, they are already stocked with six more beanbags and a bright blue graffiti-painted wall.
“When you’re a kid and think about all the stuff you want to do — like if I’m going to have a business — you want to do things your way,” Austin explained.
As the new building continues to develop, Austin plans to add a wraparound desk to his office and open up the space. He also plans to fill in the edges with beanbags and add lizard lights beneath the desks. The lights would change colors and provide a soft glow, which Austin believes would create a nice workplace.
“I think at work, you want to have an environment that’s fun to go to,” Austin said. “I always like coming here. I like the design element.”
The beanbags Austin uses for both his customers and employees are provided by CordaRoy’s, another Gainesville-based business that likes to have some fun in its office. Similar to New Scooters 4 Less, the CordaRoy’s location on West University Avenue features a showroom in the front and offices in the back.
Upon entering the showroom, a customer will find rows of CordaRoy’s products and employees lounging in the beanbags. Offices fill the second floor and look out over the showroom. In the back, CordaRoy’s has a multifunctional office area that works as a conference room, office and party space. A small stage fills the front of the room, a table and beanbags fill the back and a shuffleboard runs along the far wall.
“We do a lot with that space,” said CordaRoy’s owner, Byron Young.
Recently, CordaRoy’s filled its office space with a large screen and sound system to hold a viewing for an episode of ABC’s “Beyond the Tank” that featured the company. The show is a reality television spin-off, which checks in with entrepreneurs who secured investments on the “Shark Tank” reality show. The employees also like to use the area for charity.
“We donate it,” Young said. “Whether it be fundraisers, United Way socials, kids’ recitals or birthday parties, we like to use that space.”
Though the standard office system is far from dead, with the flux of new workers and office types, the trends in offices will continue to change. Whether it be shuffleboards, beanbags or colorchanging lights, businesses are putting a new focus on creating a fun, creative work space.
When asked about the future of his office, Austin said, “The disco ball is definitely going back up.”
PAXTON SELLERS is a recent college graduate and a Gainesville native. By day, she’s an aspiring journalist and editor. By night, she works on her Teaching English as a Foreign Language certification and perfecting her macaroon recipe.