Reno Hive opens 2 new coworking spaces; downtown expansion planned, too

Sarah Almaraz, left, and Ashley Polan of local social media marketing agency Honeypot Social spend their first afternoon working at Reno Hive’s new coworking space on Moana Lane on Aug. 10, 2021.

Sarah Almaraz, left, and Ashley Polan of local social media marketing agency Honeypot Social spend their first afternoon working at Reno Hive’s new coworking space on Moana Lane on Aug. 10, 2021. Photo by Kaleb Roedel.

By Kaleb Roedel

Tuesday, August 24, 2021


Tabitha Schneider and Fred Turnier, cofounders of the coworking space Reno Hive, gets phone calls at all hours of the day.

The urgent rings tend to come after midnight.

“I get calls in the middle of the night from people asking, ‘I need a place to work tomorrow — are you guys open?’” Schneider says with a laugh. “I’m like, ‘yeah, it’s 3 o’clock in the morning … can you just show up at 7:30 and I’ll get you a code.’”

Adds Turnier: “The phone just hasn’t stopped ringing. And it’s not just the phone, it’s email inquiries, too.”

Schneider and Turnier have been so flooded with calls and emails from entrepreneurs and remote workers in need of coworking space, they are working to meet the demand with major expansion plans.

On Aug. 1, Reno Hive opened up coworking spaces inside two Reno commercial buildings — 255 W. Moana Lane and 1155 W. 4th St. Additionally, the original Reno Hive, which occupies the second floor of downtown Reno’s Arlington Towers, is expanding to the building’s third floor, growing its downtown footprint to a total of 16,000 square feet.

Fred Turnier, left, and Tabitha Schneider, cofounders of Reno Hive, stand outside their new location on the corner of 4th Street and Keystone Avenue on Aug. 10, 2021. Photo: Kaleb M. Roedel / NNBW

 

On Moana Lane, Reno Hive is starting out with 4,000 square feet with 13 offices that range from $450 to $750 per month in rent. Schneider and Turnier are also converting the first floor of the building’s atrium into an open coworking and event space, which will feature coworking tables on wheels and be lit by newly installed LED chandeliers.

Over on the corner of West 4th Street and Keystone Avenue, the Hive is also kicking off with 4,000 square feet of space, featuring 15 offices available for $750 a month.

Meanwhile, Reno Hive’s current second floor at Arlington Towers is “completely full,” said Schneider, noting there are 67 businesses incubating in that 11,000-square-foot space.

“It was quiet during the pandemic,” Schneider said. “But after June 1 hit, when things opened back up, the phone started to ring again, and it just filled up overnight.”

Reno Hive’s Moana location will include an atrium area that will eventually be converted into an open coworking and event space. Kaleb M. Roedel / NNBW

 

Schneider expects the expanded downtown space to open by the end of September.

Schneider and Turnier said they are seeing coworking demand spike for a variety of pandemic-related reasons. Since some companies are still fully remote or hybrid, more and more working professionals are shuttering their home office and relocating to a coworking space. The growing remote-worker base also caused some businesses to trade their large corporate office and costly overhead for a coworking office.

“Some of the businesses in town are reevaluating, do we need 5,000 square feet? Do we need 10,000 square feet?” Schneider said. “What do our real estate needs look like? … And they’re deciding, coworking is going to be a better fit.”

Others have been inspired to launch their own businesses during the pandemic, either because they were laid off or wanted to be their own boss. And many of them needed space to set up shop.

All the while, entrepreneurs and businesses from regions like the Bay Area and Las Vegas continue to relocate and expand to the Biggest Little City at a rapid clip, Turnier added.

Reno Hive’s new coworking space on 4th Street includes a large conference room for members to use. Kaleb M. Roedel / NNBW

 

“All of those things are driving the sales and growth right now,” Schneider said.

Notably, Reno Hive members have access to all three locations at no extra cost, Schneider said.

Reno Hive offers $100 monthly memberships for general coworking, which includes access to a host of amenities, including massage chairs, a meditation pod, a podcast booth, WiFI, printers, 24/7 entry and more. They also offer $20 day passes.

“A lot of times those day passes convert into $100 memberships,” Schneider said. “And then the next thing you know they’re converting to the next thing and getting an office.”

If you go

Reno Hive will host an open house and reception at its new location at 255 W. Moana Lane in Reno on Sept. 9. A week later, Sept. 16, the Hive’s coworking space at 1155 W. 4th St. in Reno will host an open house. Both events will include a happy hour with hors d’oeuvres and drinks from 3:30-6 p.m. Go here for details.

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