It started as a joke…
…like all good jokes, the story becomes more important than the punchline. So if you see our Christmas tree decorated in sparkling little mirrors, this is why.
In 2009 when we opened the doors of our coworking space in downtown Johnson City we did not know what we were doing. And running a shared office space with members coming and going 24/7 we would often run out of coffee, dry erase markers or even toilet paper! So we installed a small white board in our kitchenette, asked members to write down things we needed and dubbed it the “what board”.
The answers to the question “What do we need?” were just as hilarious as you would expect from remote workers years ago. Sprinkled in between genuine needs of USB cables and staplers were pleas for a hot tub and requests for a million dollars. And then one day someone wrote the words “disco ball” at the bottom of the list. For what ever reason this one seemed like a dream we could make happen. So we located a 12” mirror disco ball and hung it up in the middle of our old space above Freibergs German restaurant.
At 5pm the sunlight would drop low enough to stream through the window and light up the whole space signaling an end to the work day and a start to relaxing and enjoying some off time. As time passed the disco ball became less of a symbol to start the party and more of reminder to listen to our members, share ideas with each other, and ultimately to serve our community. This is why fourteen years later we still have a disco ball hanging over the front door of Spark Plaza.
So for Christmas this year, take a note from the Spark Plaza disco ball. Remember why you do what you do, ask those around you what you can do to serve them, and have a little fun with it.
Merry Disco Christmas to you and your family from the Spark Plaza team!
And thank you Jennifer B. for the wonderful joke that turned into something much more!