Kensington’s New ‘Non-Hip’ Family-Friendly Coworking Space

Kensington is joining the ranks of Brooklyn neighborhoods that lure freelancers and remote workers, who were previously relegated to noisy coffee shops or squirreled away in apartment-hermitages.

And now, Kensington freelancers don’t even have to travel as far as Prospect Lefferts Gardens, or even Ditmas Park to erect walls between their home life and work life.

Cowork on Church, located on the top floor of the Flatbush and Shaare Torah Jewish Center at 327 East 5th Street, is a new coworking space founded by Kensington resident Dina Garfinke, who has been working remotely for the past year. Dina jumped on the opportunity when she realized that the top floor of this towering community center, with its stained glass windows and brick facade, was sitting idle.

Dina has been a member of the Jewish Center for seven years. “I was so tired of the subway, I’ve been working in offices for so many years that I’m happy to be working remotely,” she told us. But after a year of working from her home and bouncing around coffeeshops like Steeplechase, she needed a more reliable option — especially with kids in the house.

Cowork on Church, which recently opened its doors to everyone, is a no-frills, community oriented work space.

The work room accommodates four to six people, and includes large desks with plush chairs, air conditioning and a window overlooking Church Avenue and the rooftops of Kensington’s freestanding homes. Amenities include a printer and copier, wifi, a kitchenette with a coffeemaker, snacks, a mini fridge and microwave, and a light-filled lobby.  “People said they wanted snacks, so we got a coffee machine and we’ll do Costco runs,” said Dina.

In lieu of trendy sleeping pods and fancy networking events, Cowork on Church will offer community members a chance to shape the space into their ideal working environment. Before the launch, Dina polled the Kensington Facebook group to see what neighbors wanted, and is building the project out from those requests.

Their main edge is the potential for childcare services. On the same floor as the coworking offices, the Jewish Center is already equipped with a playroom which could be expanded into a full day care service for working hours, Dina said. The plans are entirely based on what joining members need.

There is a lot of room for expansion on the top floor, with multiple furnished and unused offices, a playroom, and a full size pool table in a game room down the hall.

Dina spent time working in the space over the last few weeks, dreaming up ideas and figuring out what remote workers will need. Her immediate plans include adding more shelving and cubby spaces for people to organize their workspaces and create a more personalized desk.

In addition, Cowork on Church welcomes all community members, not just affiliates of the Flatbush Jewish Center.

One goal of this space is to keep prices low and accommodate the neighborhood parents, who need to think about childcare during work hours. Because the space isn’t trying to be as ‘hip’ as other Brooklyn office spaces, Dina told us, they’re not charging ‘hip’ prices; the full-time rate is $300 per month between 9am and 5pm, $200 per month for 10 weekdays, or $25 per day as a drop-in (prices for childcare services not included). With more demand and onsite staff, there is an option to expand the hours to include weekends and evenings.