Coworking has come to Omaha! An invitation to CAMP and some FAQs

Posted on 27. Jul, 2010 by in CAMP

After months and months and months of searching and planning and waiting, CAMP is finally opening on August 1st!
In true Omaha fashion we are hosting a big open house party this Friday night and you are certainly welcome to come.

All of our party crashers will also have a chance to win a few prizes. We are giving away two one-week passes to CAMP as well as a full month free. We will also have a keg of popular local brew Lucky Bucket and our favorite snacks. Check out the CAMP website for more details.

I have received a lot of specific questions about CAMP from readers and locals…so now would be a good time to answer them.

Q: What is coworking?
A: CAMP is a coworking space for other independent designers, entrepreneurs, and developers that serves as a studio space or “club house” for those who want to get out of their offices, or those who don’t have one. If you normally work at home or out of a coffee shop or library, you might like to try coworking. You will be surrounded with motivated, smart, creative, hardworking people.

Work doesn’t always get done when you’re alone at home, in a noisy coffee shop, or in a cubicle. Those aren’t always the most productive spaces for some people, and that’s why so many people are relocating to coworking spaces. CAMP is Omaha’s first.

Q: What does CAMP stand for?
A: Nothing. We chose the word CAMP for its visual starkness and simplicity as well as the meanings and connotations of the word itself. A camp is a group of close friends or associates. It’s a site for gathering. It’s a home base. It represents the DIY aesthetic. It can even refer to the ludicrous, the comical, something consciously tacky (which I love). We also joke that it’s capitalized because you’re supposed to yell it.

Q: Who founded CAMP?
A: CAMP was first conceived last year by my little collective of friends (including Matt Secoske of nimblelogic, Eric Downs of Downs Design, and Steve Gordon of RDQLUS) as we found ourselves meeting in coffee shops, restaurants, and each others’ homes late into the night as we worked on our projects and businesses. Last January we visited the Mastercraft building in North Downtown and realized it would be the perfect venue for our late night work sessions.

I am the owner and my friends are still on board, fulfilling a broad range of roles as tenants. They are the perfect examples of making coworking work for them because they are able to visit as much as their diverse lives allow. Eric is single and in the office almost all the time, Steve is married and splits his time between his favorite locales around town and the almighty wifebot, and Steve has three kids and works between home and CAMP.

Q: What are your rates?
A: We have a few options for membership. The daily rate is $20 and you can drop in any time, or we have month-to-month memberships for $350/month. With the monthly rate, you of course get free parking, wi-fi, drinks and snacks, and a meeting space, and you also get your own desk and mailing address, your own key and 24/7 access, as well as a writeup and feature on the CAMP website. One other option is that you could get a punch card which is a savings from the daily rate that you can use any time. They are available in 10-day and 30-day increments.

Q: Is Alice coming to CAMP?
A: Sometimes. If she is calm and happy she might be there. I normally work at night when there are fewer people there, so if there is an episode and we have to leave there will be less disruption.

Q: Will you be hosting events?
A: Yes. The first is the Joslyn Art Crawl hosted by the Joslyn Art Museum which will feature Princess Lasertron (oh, that’s me), minorwhite studios (also in the Mastercraft building), and Alley Poyner architects. We are also planning some things like Ignite Omaha and possibly a fashion preview show for my Spring line in September.

So that is that, for now.
I am really nervous for the party, for the whole opening.
I am a little afraid that I won’t get it right, or that I will harm someone’s business by making a mistake. Not having enough space. Not having the right coffee. (Not to mention I have never used a coffee maker or made a cup of coffee in my life.) Not having the privacy someone needs.

But on the whole I am excited and ecstatic. This is really the culmination of so many things I have wanted to be a part of for so long and it’s all because of the Omaha community and my amazingly inspiring friends that this is possible.

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17 Responses to “Coworking has come to Omaha! An invitation to CAMP and some FAQs”

  1. Christina Travis

    01. Aug, 2010
    11:08 pm

    Wish I could have come. But I’m all the way in AZ. I think the coworking idea is totally awesome! My husband does a lot of contract work from home and the have the option of an office type place to meet clients is just so cool to me. I love the look and the monthly membership price is great. Again, I just think this is should an awesome idea. I wish you and anyone else involved tons of success. Maybe one of these days you can expand to Phoenix!

    Reply to this comment

  2. Solomon Kleinsmith

    30. Jul, 2010
    3:08 pm

    You could also use one of those cold brew systems so people can just make as much as they want, so you don’t have a coffee maker burning all day. Would be more green…

    And lurv yer local biz’ and buy local fresh roasted fair trade of course :)

    Reply to this comment

  3. Tweets that mention Coworking has come to Omaha! An invitation to CAMP and some FAQs ›› Princess Lasertron -- Topsy.com

    29. Jul, 2010
    2:47 pm

    [...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Marc Nathan, lasertron. lasertron said: on princesslasertron.com – coworking comes to omaha! some FAQs about CAMP: http://bit.ly/aJshoZ [...]

    Reply to this comment

  4. shelby

    29. Jul, 2010
    12:52 pm

    i know diddly about owning a business despite my dad owning one BUT i know about coffee and i recommend a keurig coffee maker because it makes one cup at a time (depending on the machine you can choose your size of cup) so it’s less work. nobody has to worry about making a new pot or turning it off or cleaning it out. all you have to do is put water and a little cup in it AND if you don’t want to buy those they have a thing you can use with regular coffee grounds. …..no i don’t work for them either i just love mine.

    Reply to this comment

  5. Solomon Kleinsmith

    29. Jul, 2010
    11:24 am

    I was including utilities in my 300 number. There are small spaces in Benson and Downtown that I looked at last year that added up to mid 200′s, all things included.

    I’d much rather work in a space like this is talking about, but as someone who is bootstrapping something in the Spring, and makes jack working in the nonprofit field, thats just out of my price range.

    Like Someone said above, it does seem like its geared more towards established very small businesses, not bootstrappers like me. I’ll just stick to my living room office :)

    Or maybe I’ll put together a bare bones competitor geared towards bootsrappers, haha

    Reply to this comment

  6. OMAHA HOMES

    29. Jul, 2010
    8:46 am

    Congratulations to you and your friends/family that helped make this possible! Joe and I are really stoked to see it at the opening!!

    Reply to this comment

  7. KatieButler

    28. Jul, 2010
    9:02 pm

    Wishing you all the best in this venture. What an exciting time this must be!

    Reply to this comment

  8. mrsj

    28. Jul, 2010
    8:15 pm

    while it is true that you could rent an office in benson for 300, you would also be paying for utilities for yourself, and would have to decorate it yourself, and would have to sign a lease that is longer than a month. so, cost-wise, it would be a lot more for a person than just 300.

    and that is what some people are looking for, sure. because they want to start an office. and there are some businesses that would work better in a personal office than a coworking space.

    i think camp is for people who already have a business, they just want a cool place to work and to interact with other people. and i think the cost, for them, would be legit.

    or at least it has been, for people i’ve talked to anyway.

    Reply to this comment

  9. Solomon Kleinsmith

    28. Jul, 2010
    3:47 pm

    Love the idea, but the price is inflated. I can get my own office space for under 300 a month in the some decent places downtown, in Benson, etc. If you brought it down to a number beginning with a one, now THAT would be worth it.

    Reply to this comment

    • Princess Lasertron

      28. Jul, 2010
      4:12 pm

      Thanks for your feedback. We are comfortable with our pricing structure and we encourage everyone to find a space that works for them! When you open your place in Benson we will fully support you. :)

      Reply to this comment

  10. CRYSTAL HANSEN

    28. Jul, 2010
    2:16 pm

    That is such a cool idea. I wish we had one here in Chicago. I miss going to the studio and painting etc…etc. that I did in college and that sounds like a great place to get creative. And also a great place to bounce ideas off of other fellow artists of all kinds.

    Reply to this comment

  11. Annie Cristina

    28. Jul, 2010
    1:26 pm

    Wish I could be there for the party! Congrats on making this happen. :-)

    Reply to this comment

  12. Amanda M.

    28. Jul, 2010
    8:13 am

    I am looking forward to a MASSIVE photo-dump from this party. I want to feel like I was there, mainly because I wish I could be there!

    Good luck. Have fun. You’re doing great. You’re living the dream. Congratulations.

    Reply to this comment

  13. Jeanelle

    27. Jul, 2010
    10:11 pm

    Good Luck Megan! I hope to come and check out your “other baby” while I am in Omaha for Silver Bella.

    Reply to this comment

  14. Jenny Mick!

    27. Jul, 2010
    8:21 pm

    Congratulations to you and your friends/family that helped make this possible! Joe and I are really stoked to see it at the opening!!

    Reply to this comment

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