By Elizabeth F. McNamara

A lot of us are working from home these days. It’s convenient, but can also be wildly distracting. Maybe you head out to a local coffee shop when suddenly laundry seems like a good idea in the face of a pressing work deadline. Or when your child doesn’t find a closed door a deterrent in reporting a sibling’s most recent misdeed.

And East Greenwich has a number of terrific coffee shops (shout outs to The Nook, Mainstreet Coffee, Starbucks, Felicia’s!) but after a couple of hours, it just seems right to move on and make room for other patrons, even if you end up at another coffee shop!

The Hub, a new co-work space at 333 Main Street, offers a solution. Located above Kenneth Cote Salon, The Hub features huge windows overlooking Main Street and the harbor neighborhood, with comfy office chairs, lots of places to plug in and a conference room.   

The idea, according to manager Roger Machado-Fournier, is to offer a bit of the coffee shop vibe but with more comfortable work stations and better connectivity (i.e. lots of places to plug in and strong wifi).

The Hub plans to offer something more: a community so that people can share ideas.

“It can be lonely working at home,” said Machado-Fournier. This won’t be just a work space. It’s a community space so that people can connect over what they are doing and get feedback. Sometimes you just need someone to bounce ideas off of.”

People can pay by the day or get 6-day or 12-day-a-month packs. There are also a few full-time spots available, but those are limited. Membership includes a co-work space social network. Full pricing can be found here. The Hub will be open from 9 to 5 p.m. First day for business is Monday, March 18, but there’s an open house Thursday, March 14, from 5 to 7 p.m.

Editor’s note: The Hub is owned by Odessa Cozzolino, a member of the East Greenwich News board.