The World Is Their Cubicle

Finding a flat, open space is no easy task in the Southfield Public Library’s main branch. No matter what the time, patrons can be seen scrambling for an unoccupied study table or conference room, hoping to take advantage of the library’s free Wi-Fi Internet connection.

Some find a quiet corner shielded by stacks of books. Others cozy up in arm chairs and couches near one of the library’s fireplaces. A few set up their workspace in front of a large flat-screen TV showing a muted CNN with subtitles. Small groups squeeze into soundproofed conference rooms. The atmosphere is busy but strangely quiet, as the vast majority of the library’s users diligently pluck away at their laptops.

These people are part of a trend that is growing not only here in Metro Detroit but across the nation: professionals discarding the cramped confines of the traditional work cubicle for the relaxed, open atmosphere of libraries, cafes and coffee shops.

The spread of Wi-Fi --cordless Internet connections-- and increasingly powerful laptops have transformed restaurants into offices for a growing culture of independent workers. As Michigan transitions from a brawn-based to knowledge-based economy, traditional notions of workplace are being tossed out the window.

A new breed of professional

"We made a commitment to be a virtual office because we can," says Ray Ackley, chief creative officer for Tipping Point Services, a Metro Detroit-based marketing and communications firm. "I can work anywhere, which means I travel less and I can spend more time at home."

Ackley doesn’t have an office. The Wyandotte resident has a Mac laptop, iPod and a nose for Wi-Fi friendly places. A typical morning consists of hunkering down at a Panera Bread or local coffee shop with his laptop. Ackley will spend a few hours there working on projects, preparing for meetings and answering e-mails before he packs up and heads out for a meeting or a better spot to work.

Everyone in his firm does this. There is no traditional office space. Ackley and his co-workers just pack up and find the best Wi-Fi connection. His company does have aspirations of establishing a small office in downtown Detroit one day, but for now the coffee shop workspace is working well for their new company.

"Everybody is on a laptop," says Ackley. "There are no work stations."

That’s how Aaron Bramson works, even though he has two cubicles in Ann Arbor that he rarely utilizes. The computer-model consultant does about 60 percent of his work from his laptop in cafes across Ann Arbor.

"All of the books and research material I need I keep on my computer," explains Bramson. "All of the information I need, I bring with me."

Café culture also helps him network with business people in similar fields doing their work in the same fashion. Bramson often finds himself working alongside dozens of regulars at Café Ambrosia, one of his favorite spaces to work.

He prefers the cafe to his work cubicle or home, complaining that both are filled with distractions.  Household chores or coworkers with questions to ask and stories to tell frequently compromise his productivity.

"The café lets me leave all that stuff and take my work with me," says Bramson.

CVMedia loves people like Bramson. The downtown Northville-based firm that specializes in creating web sites, videos and events gives a lot of its work to web designers, 3-D animators, producers and writers from outside of the office. These people rarely if ever step foot into CVMedia’s office, choosing to work from home or cafes.

This strategy has become so common that the company has moved to a smaller office even as it has added positions. Mike Mnich, president of CVMedia, sees this type of office culture a great money saver. He pays his people by the assignment, saving him from making long-term income commitments.

"I don’t have to pay for the software program," says Mnich. "I don’t have to pay them to travel to our office, but I still get to take advantage of their software and their expertise."

A cubicle without walls

Places like Café Ambrosia are everywhere in Metro Detroit. These types of hot spots typically appear in city centers with traditional downtowns, such as the Coffee Beanery in Royal Oak, the Java Hutt II in Birmingham (open 24 hours), Energie Coffee & Smoothie Bar in Wyandotte or the Java Exchange Cafe in Detroit’s TechTown.

Shannon Lowell owns one of those hot spots in Hamtramck, Café 1923. The coffee shop, which occupies a restored storefront on Holbrook Street --originally built in 1923-- sees a steady stream of professionals with laptops set up for work at one of the tables. They range from businessmen from the nearby American Axel plant preparing for a meeting to teachers organizing their lesson plans. They are all attracted to free Wi-Fi, good coffee and relaxed atmosphere.

Lowell recalls how a man visiting from Oregon settled a dead relative’s estate at the cafe, coming in day after day to handle things from his laptop.

"He was just camped out here with a cup of coffee all afternoon," says Lowell, estimating that about 25 percent of his customers utilize the free Internet connection.

"Their eyes get bigger when they realize we have it," says Lowell. "They come back and do their work here."

An even greater percentage of patrons take advantage of the Southfield Library’s Wi-Fi connection. Dave Ewick, the city librarian, estimates more than 80 percent of the 2,000 to 4,000 patrons each day either use the library’s computers or bring their own. Every bit of the 127,000 square feet of the building, from the lobby to the bathroom stalls, has been Wi-Fi friendly since its 2004 opening.

"We wanted equal access (to the Internet) for everyone and this is a way of doing that," says Carol Mueller, a deputy city librarian and one of the people who helped plan the new library. "It levels the playing field for people to have access to the Internet."

Although the Internet connections are key to the library’s extraordinary popularity --it attracted more than 70,000 people in January-- it is also filled with 21st Century amenities like a ground floor café space. Ewick sees people coming to the library for its free Internet access as a key service the library provides.

Attendance plummets without it. The library lost its Internet access for two days in January due to a problem with the service provider. Foot traffic through the normally packed library slowed sharply and quickly.

"When word got out, the parking lot (normally packed to the gills) was more than half empty," says Ewick. "The Internet is a key reason why people come here."

That, and its central location, is the main reason Ackley and his coworkers regularly meet at the Southfield Library. To them it’s just a "great place" to work.

"It’s incredibly well managed," says Ackley. "We’re looking forward to supporting this library in the future. It has a great atmosphere. It’s so well utilized. There are so many little spots to work."

Maybe they'll even check out a book someday.



Know a great café or sandwich shop with Internet access and killer coffee? Metromode wants to hear about your favorite Wi-Fi workspace. Whether you live in Plymouth, Mt Clemens, Ferndale or Gross Point, email us and we’ll put together a list for MM's readers.

Jon Zemke is a Detroit-based writer who also contributes to Model-D.

Dave Krieger is Managing Photographer of Model D and frequent metromode contributer.

Photos:

Ray Ackley of Tipping Point Services

Cafes host a new breed of wired professional

Photographs © Dave Krieger