Standing on Maynard Street across Hing Hay Park, one only has to look across the street to appreciate the grand bay windows on the second floor of the Bush Hotel. Historically, the space has been the home of a fancy Korean high-end restaurant and more recently, the site for fantastic art installations under the Storefront program. Soon, it will be the location of Hing Hay Coworks.
Hing Hay Coworks is an economic development project of the Seattle Chinatown International District Preservation and Development Authority (SCIDpda). Conceptualized as a shared productive workspace with amenities, the hope is that entrepreneurs would benefit from each other through collaboration, partnership(s) and spark creativity in bringing ideas to market.
Space manager, Quang Nguyen said, “There has been a lot of interest in what’s going in that space these past few months. Our aim is to foster a diverse, vibrant, and sustainable community of entrepreneurs. We’re creating a supportive environment for dreamer-doers at our workspace by programing events and workshops that allow our members to make meaningful connections to people and resources.”
Hing Hay Coworks has four main membership levels catering to freelancers, independents, boutique agencies, and startups:
- Level I: 7 days per month at $165 per month
- Level II: 3 days per week at $255 per month
- Level III: 5 days per week at $375 per month
- Level IV: Full Time with fixed desk at $475/mo.
Starting this April, Hing Hay Coworks will be accepting membership applications.
The interesting challenge for Hing Hay Coworks is how to both preserve and revitalize the unique cultural flavors of Chinatown-ID. “The key is to attract a diverse set of innovative entrepreneurs who have an affinity to the different Asia Pacific Island cultures of the neighborhood,” Nguyen said. “We’re looking for people who can honor the past while creatively reimagine it for the 21st century.”
For more information, contact Hing Hay Coworks manager Quang Nguyen at [email protected]. Like on Facebook at facebook.com/hhcoworks.
