Coworking spaces like the ones available on Vuka.co have risen in popularity tenfold in recent years so it’s no surprise that coworking has finally arrived in Richmond. Today, we’ll be discussing the new coworking space with the owners.

“For today’s activity, everyone has to make a stencil and add a drawing to the poster.” Assuming you’re not an elementary school teacher, it’s unlikely that this sentence has ever been spoken in your office. If your response is to cast an awkward glance at the 5-foot dynamo making the suggestion, you’ve clearly never been educated on the world of coworking, 804Richmond-style.

Larkin Garbee is the self-styled “lead co-workaholic” and owner of 804Richmond, a coworking space that just happens to share a space with James River Tile, which Garbee also runs. If you’re not sure what a co-working office is then it’s a space that different companies and employees share. They are getting very popular with more businesses looking to get a coworking membership plans than ever before. To Garbee, a world of entrepreneurial acumen hides behind the cherubic grin that greets every visitor to this collaborative business environment.

The concept of an un-office has been around for more than a decade, picking up steam with each passing year. The price for commercial space and multi-year contracts for a startup venture can be challenging. It might be difficult for business owners to find an inexpensive place with adequate space. A better idea would be to utilize the existing space to its full extent with proper planning and execution. In order to achieve that, a company can search for experts who tend to specialize in workplace interior design, and who could assist them in the right way. Since upcoming generations of employees might not want those monotonous office desks, it could be essential for employers to make the working space more interactive and engaging. Enabled by advances in mobile connectivity, the timing has never been better to rethink office space as a new generation of freelancers and nine-to-fivers enter the marketplace seeking a desk to call their own. That scenario works for Garbee, as long as you don’t leave out the fun.

“To me, coworking means the future of the office space. Think of it like a tree house for grownups or a coffee shop where you are encouraged to stay all day and get to know the person sitting next to you,” says Garbee. “You become a member of a secret club that fosters innovation, creativity, and collaboration. You get a creative outlet and a positive place to work outside of the solitary confinement of your home office.”

Best of all, 804Richmond makes the transition to coworking as easy as possible. All “contracts” are month-to-month and range in commitment from one day a week to a private office space.

“One of the biggest reasons I love coworking is because it allows you to meet people in a casual environment without the pressure of a networking function. Collaboration happens naturally when you cowork.” Taking it a step further, Garbee says, “I tell people that your first day of coworking is like your first day of school – you don’t know where to sit, who to talk to, what time to eat lunch. After a few days, you find your comfort zone, get to meet new people and look forward to going to work. Before you know it, you start collaborating with the people around you and find that you are more productive.”

It all starts to make sense… except the stencils and the poster? What’s the deal there? “One of my coworkers Janeen Wall is a huge Noah Scalin fan. At 804Richmond, we are using his 365 Daily Creative Journal as a tool to revive our creativity by accomplishing the project of the day and sharing a photo of the finished work on Twitter. Our blog at 804richmond.com will showcase the completed works and track our journey through 365 Days of Creativity in RVA. We are in the early stages of this project, but it has been a great way for members at our space to get to know one another through their daily posts – we have even had a few nonmembers jump on the project.”

Creativity and the spirit of collaboration clearly flow from the 804Richmond space. But don’t take our word for it — visit 804Richmond on your own. Garbee and the gang will surely welcome you with open arms. –By Thomas McDonald