So, this just happened. Well, actually more like a month ago, but we’re still settling in to our new space in Northeast Minneapolis’ CW Lofts. Moving from a corporate office building in Plymouth to a trendy live-work space in the city is a pretty big change, but we’ve been over the moon about it.
In case you ever find yourself seeking a new office space, here are a few things we love about our new digs:
We own it.
With our previous lease nearing its expiration, we saw an opportunity to pursue a longtime goal of owning our office. We didn’t want to be landlords, which meant we needed a smaller space. And since 1,500-square-foot office buildings are hard to find, we decided a live-work condo would likely be the best fit.
It’s centrally located.
Don’t get us wrong: we liked Plymouth, but it’s not the most easily accessible suburb in the Twin Cities. We knew that being in a city and close to major interstates would not only make it easier for our staff to travel to work and to job sites but it would also be more convenient for clients. Minneapolis, particularly the North Loop and Northeast neighborhoods, offered this perk, as well as an ample selection of the live-work product we desired.
It has a ton of history and character.
The CW Lofts building is the former home of the Cream of Wheat Company’s factory and headquarters. Built in 1927, the striking Moderne-style building housed the company’s cereal manufacturing process until Kraft Foods purchased it in 2002. The condos (i.e., live-work spaces) were completed in 2007.
Although the building was completely renovated, many of its original features remain. Our space was the former train shed. It housed the trains that brought raw flour and grain from the riverfront mills. The rail cars were unloaded into the lower area of the building and sent up an elevator to where the top-down manufacturing process would begin. The original train tracks are visible in our floor, and our sandblasted yellow brick walls exude an earlier era.
It’s close to restaurants, breweries, and downtown.
OK, OK, moving to Northeast Minneapolis wasn’t all about proximity to job sites. We may also have been concerned about proximity to great food and beer. Some of the Twin Cities’ most revered breweries and restaurants are now in our neighborhood. And we love that the building’s rooftop patio offers a spectacular view of downtown Minneapolis.
Come visit!
In our line of work, we see the power of space day in and day out. We’re grateful to be setting down roots in such a storied, authentic building and neighborhood, and we can’t wait to see how this change influences our next chapter. In the meantime, we can’t wait to show you around, so please stop by soon!