Come to check out Spark Plaza, the Tri-Cities first and only coworking community, we are celebrating our new location in downtown Johnson City with a special event Friday, Oct. 26 from 4-6 p.m.
The event, which will take place at 404 S. Roan Street, will consist of an Open House, as well as the unveiling of a special piece of art, created by Spark Plaza members. Open to the community, food, drinks, and music will be provided.
Jose and Shannon Castillo, the owners of Spark Plaza, first opened the business in 2009 on East Main Street in Johnson City. Due to a growing awareness of the coworking experience and the evolution of Spark Plaza, they needed to expand, thus the move to a larger space.
“We’re very excited about this move and the fact that Spark Plaza has grown to the point that we needed more space,” said Jose Castillo. “We’re really looking forward to celebrating with the Open House so people in the community who haven’t seen it can see what we’re all about.”
Jose and Shannon aren’t the first Castillo family members to embrace a coworking space. Jose’s grandparents met in an artist’s coworking space after World War II in Mexico City, called “La Mancha,” which translates to the mark or on the spot. The Castillos, who want the space to become a place where others can leave their mark, designed their logo, which features an orange splotch, as a tribute to his grandparents.
When the idea to open Spark Plaza first materialized more than a decade ago, the Castillo’s knew exactly where they wanted it to be located.
“From the beginning, we knew that we wanted to create a space that focused on the community and we wanted to be part of the revitalization of downtown Johnson City,” said Jose Castillo. “We felt like there was a need for a coworking experience and knew they had been successful in larger cities but weren’t sure how successful they would be in this area.”
Castillo says the reason coworking spaces work is that people who could work from home realize that it’s simply not always the most viable option.
“For a number of reasons, it can be difficult to work from home because of various distractions,” he said. “And really, all people truly need in a workspace is a place to sit, some power and Wi-Fi… but they also want to be around other people. Spark Plaza is perfect for them because it’s a place where they can work that also gives them a community feel because of all the other folks working there.”