After arriving in Ridgway in their handmade van, Hana Morrison and Elijah Brown were struggling to run their remote personal businesses from their cramped vehicle. Then the couple found Alt Space Coworking, which provided them a flexible way to work outside their home.
So when they heard the shared workspace community was potentially shutting its doors, they decided to buy and breathe new air into the business — though they’ve since sold the van.
“We wanted to make sure the business didn’t close, because it’s vital to the community,” said Morrison, 26, who runs her own brand design studio. Brown, 29, works in multi-family real estate.
The two had been looking for a shared business opportunity on top of their existing careers.
Hana Morrison and Elijah Brown decided to call Ridgway home in 2023 after traveling across state and national borders in their home cargo van. Earlier this month the couple bought local Alt Space Coworking, aiming to revive the workspaces they’ve run their personal businesses from since moving to the Western Slope.
Courtesy photo
Alt Space has been through a number of owners and iterations, most recently operating four workspaces in Ridgway, Montrose, Telluride and Grand Junction. Morrison and Brown bought the business at the beginning of June from former owner Brad Rowland, who moved to the Front Range and wasn’t able to dedicate the time needed to build the community the couple envisions for the space, they said.
They noticed membership dropping over the past few years as the spaces were being run without any on-site staff to nurture the community.
As new owners, they’re determined to rebuild and expand a shared working community across the Western Slope.
Their first step was purchasing a second space in Ridgway upstairs at The Old Firehouse at 185 N. Lena St., which will be used as a coworking space separate from the primary space at 257 Sherman St., which houses six private offices.
The new office directly overlooking Hartwell Park is outfitted with an on-tap kombucha and cold brew machine and all new furniture such as sound-proof phone booths.
It’s also equipped with cubicle-style offices, day-use workspaces and a large group meeting area, set up with a long table and TV.
Alt Space offers more routine options, such as a dedicated desk space or monthly membership, and more flexible options such as day passes and punch passes.
Its users also have the ability to work in all four locations.
They plan to open up more spaces across the Western Slope to boost that benefit, Morrison said. Brown also described future plans to foster a mentorship and business community within the physical workspaces, where entrepreneurs and investors can connect to drive economic growth and development.
“We want entrepreneurs to be able to come here, get the mentorship that they need to start and grow their business,” Brown said.
“And there’s a lot of people here [who] have full-time jobs, but they also have really good ideas, and they’re starting stuff, but they don’t know where to get the support or where to get the funding from. And we want to be able to provide all that within our space,” he said.
Find more information about the revamped coworking community at altspacecowork.com.
