So far, the venue – all industrial chic with exposed brick walls and modern art – has signed deals for almost 10 of its 32 office units.

“I think we’ll fill up by the end of the year,” said Jeff Goronkin, chief operating officer of Urban Co-Works.

The pandemic has been both a blessing and a curse, Goronkin said.

Business in the previous embodiment of the coworking space, located at the other end of Jay Street Market, fell 50% last spring.

“It grew rapidly quarterly,” Goronkin said. “Then COVID hit and all the gains we made, COVID wiped out. “

But rising from the ashes is a professional culture that is always in transition.

Goronkin believes the future of shared coworking spaces is bright as U.S. businesses fundamentally rethink the culture of the workplace, a culture in which employees are increasingly reluctant to return to the office, especially if their productivity fails. do not suffer from it.

Companies are also re-evaluating long-term leases with business owners, he said, and questioning whether the price is worth it.

Yet at the same time, workers seek respites to get away from their home offices, and a co-work model allows for some degree of social and work interaction, a climate, according to Goronkin, will stimulate collaboration and synergy between customers, who now number around 70.

Membership includes fast food franchises, nonprofits, and construction vendors. A company based in Ann Arbor, Mich., Has reserved office space for a year without visibility.

The space at 430 Franklin St. also features conference rooms equipped with technology that overlooks an ever-changing downtown.

Other amenities, including a podcasting booth, are planned, as well as a rooftop patio for hot-weather events.

Several options are available at Urban Co-Works, including office rental for five and 10 days. Costs range from $ 35 per day for offices ranging from $ 625 to $ 2,200 per month.

The project completely overhauled a long moribund office building at one of the most important intersections in the city center.

Goronkin, who first moved to Schenectady in 2016 when he opened a public relations firm, declined to disclose the price of the project, only to say the investments were “a lot.”

Gone is the bland white cinder block building, fully rehabilitated with brick and wood facades, open windows and a pair of expansive ground-floor retail spaces, one of which has already attracted a tenant, a Mediterranean restaurant in going to open by year end, says Goronkin.

Urban Co-Works, however, does not have the cornered market, and a newly launched competitor, Capital Co-Works, has opened next door, with other locations scattered throughout the city, including the city’s Stockade district. .

Despite the increasingly competitive environment for coworking centers in the Capital Region, Goronkin is feeling optimistic.

“We are the only co-working space like this in Schenectady,” he said, referring to the “class A” facilities at the place.

Downtown development continues to grow, with several projects moving forward this fall, including the construction of a four-story apartment complex with 3,000 square feet of retail space rapidly growing to a block on Clinton Street.

“It’s dynamic and we are located in a city with a future,” Goronkin said. “The future that everyone was talking about five to ten years ago is now here.”