I certainly never gave any thought to changing my physical environment at work. I interface with my digital desktop, and make sure there is plenty of elbow room on the physical one. Life goes on and work moves forward. Until now, I never approached my work space the way I have my living space. I do, in fact, spend more waking hours there then anywhere else. I certainly do the majority of my creative work there. But I went years without ever switching things up.

When I started this business in 2006, I was working out of my apartment and shortly moved into a co-op space where I stayed for a little over two years. My (then) partner and I would get inspired by talking about growing and expanding, hiring new employees, designing and getting our own office. I dreamed of a work space so clean and modern it looked like Herman Miller and the Eames’s created a Justice League style team to design the office specifically for our company. A flagship of technology driven business. A space that is sleek, modern, paperless and wireless. In my naivete I saw change and growth as events, something to happen suddenly, rapidly, after a long period of toiling away behind a desk. (This perspective was no doubt just as much a product of youth as a product of all of those garage start-up features in business magazines.) In reality the business itself evolves over time, growing everyday, and change is most noticeable when looking back.

As the business grew, I dreamed less of big changes, I focused my creative energy on my work and my clients. When it came time to move into a new space, I realized many of those dreams had turned into goals. I was now facing the the mission of finding a new office, one that reflects my business as it stands now and how it will grow. Good is a two man shop, for more then two years it’s operated in a co-op space with as many as four other small businesses. The co-op was good for me and I knew I wasn’t prepared to give up the relationships and camaraderie I got from my peers. Through conversations with Kevin and Luke my fellow co-op members, I realized they were in the same position, and the three of us had gained a lot from sharing work space. Each of our businesses were transitioning, and all three of us needed a space that could allow us to grow into or grow out of. So the three of us began looking for new spaces together.

After a few months of looking, Kevin discovered a space opening up across the street from where we were. What used to be the second floor of Shaub’s Department Store, had remained empty for 16 years before becoming a snow and skate shop. Behind a thick coat of bright orange paint, and display racks for cloths and gear, was the remnants of an art deco children’s toy and clothing department. With classic art deco lines built-in bookcases, storage and generations old hardwood floors, the space was immediately inspiring. The building manager refinished the floors, and we were able to talk him into painting an accent wall Good Red. We decided to take the members from the existing co-op and invite them into the new space, changing little more then ownership over the space.

The lease was signed, renovations made, boxes packed, moved and unpacked. The new co-op had its members and as part lease-holder (and only designer) I was given carte blanche over the interior design of the new space.