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Byte & Mortar offers alternatives to working from home or coffee shops.

Allan Nahajewski
Contributing Writer

I

mpending fatherhood kickstarted Daniel Haberman's lat-
est career move.
Being a nightclub owner no longer seemed to be the
right fit for the local attorney-entrepreneur. It was time for
something new
"I was working from home on a few projects, including
the sale of the club, realizing the difficulty of accomplishing
everything I needed to get done from my home office; he
says.
That led to the inspiration for his next venture — a new
kind of office space for professionals looking for a better
working arrangement.
Since opening for business in late October, Byte & Mortar
Offices, located at 2609 Crooks Road, just south of Big Beaver
in Troy, has already attracted 15 clients, including Internet
entrepreneurs, attorneys, a filmmaker, an academic and IT
consultants.
The 6,000-square-foot facility includes 18 private offices, a
conference room and a 1,000-square-foot coworking space,
ideal for fostering collaboration.
A local ad agency booked the conference room for a week
of meetings. A retail organization used the coworking room
for brainstorming. "The traditional companies have learned
the value of mixing it up; says Haberman.
The concept of an open coworking space is a rapidly grow-
ing trend, especially in cities with many start-up companies
and young entrepreneurs. Besides offering a lower-cost,
shorter-term alternative to traditional offices, coworking is
designed to encourage networking and innovation. From
Austin to Portland to Seattle, coworking spaces have sprouted
up with names like The Hive, NextSpace, Ignition Alley,
StartPad, WorkBar and Creative Density.
Deskmag.com, an online magazine on coworking, is fore-
casting demand for coworking space to expand by as much
as 40 percent this year.
"Detroit is a city of independent people and hustlers, in the
best sense of the term; says Haberman. "My gut told me that
coworking would work here, too:'
Flexibility is key to Byte & Mortar's approach. The new
venture offers a full range of options from coworking to
private offices. "You can rent a conference room for a day, or
you can get your mail here. We'll let you know when you get

II

COWORKING

Daniel Haberman

Coworking space is a growing trend in cities like
Detroit that have a lot of entrepreneurs.

a package," he says. "If you need a private office for an hour,
you can come on in. We make it as flexible as possible."
The broad-based approach is a part of the plan. "Some
people are looking to escape a home office environment — or
supplement it. Some who have been working in a coffee shop
are ready for a next, more productive step. Even for someone
who is very comfortable working from home, for a very low
cost, this adds a layer of professionalism, stepping it up a little
in their clients' eyes."
Haberman, the company's president, has been getting
the word out about the new venture through social media
campaigns, Google, Craig's List, online aggregators and local
brokers. "Interest has been fantastic; he says. "It's been a nice
startup"
Byte & Mortar clients get a shared receptionist, WiFi, tea,
coffee and use of the facility at any time. "If they're produc-
tive in the middle of the night, they can come then. We're a
highly secure facility with programmed after-hours access."
Haberman, 39, grew up in Detroit near Seven Mile Road
and Livernois. Haberman Fabrics has been the family's busi-
ness for decades. He attended the University of Michigan
before getting a law degree at Georgetown. Daniel, his wife,
Joanne, and 1-year-old daughter, Ella, live in Birmingham
and worship at Temple Shir Shalom in West Bloomfield.
Daniel's brother Jeremy owns the Magic Bag Theatre in
Ferndale. The two brothers owned the Bosco, a popular
lounge next to the theater, for 10 years before selling it in
2011.
"My dad always says that none of us in the family are

hirable, so we always just do our own projects; he chuckles.
Haberman says his new venture taps into his experiences
in law, real estate and hospitality.
"I'd love to see this company continue to grow and reach
into new areas; he says. "There's a broad appeal. A company
from India toured recently, looking for a North American
branch. We've had a number of European companies looking
for North American offices. I anticipated none of that.
"The goal is to master it here, make sure we've got it oper-
ating perfectly, and then to reach out and expand into addi-
tional markets.
"What we do is provide this extremely flexible use of office
space. What is it going to be in five years? There's almost no
way to know exactly how offices are going to change. We just
have to keep being there and being as flexible as possible7

❑

Byte & Mortar offers mail services for $59
a month, call services for $119 a month and
coworking memberships for $159 a month. A
variety of private offices are also available. The
campus-like setting features a patio surrounded
by greenery in the summertime. Decor is modern
with furniture from Michigan-based Steelcase and
Haworth and custom pieces from Scott Klinker,
Cranbrook Academy of Art's 3-D Designer in
Residence.
For more about Byte & Mortar Offices, visit
http://byteandmortar.com .

March 21 • 2013

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