By Claudia Loucks
Correspondent

The building that housed a lumber company for many years has been transformed into a building that offers modern office spaces and also houses a second location of Geneseo Child Care.

When purchasing the Alexander Lumber Company buildings and property at 219 East Exchange St., it was the vision of Joe and Jackie Mickley and their son Jake, to transform the structure into spaces that answer the needs of today’s modern work force.

Andy Moore of Geneseo has been involved with Jackie Mickley in the renovation of the building.

Jake Mickley said,”We wanted to create a space that was easy for businesses and individuals to rent while they got started and /or to find a quiet and comfortable space to work outside of their home offices.”

Exchange St. Works offers both private offices as well as open space that is intended for those who are interested in a lesser obligation.

Mickley said, “Based on some of my earlier career experience working at spaces similar to Exchange St. Works, I found it to be very helpful to utilize such spaces as an entrepreneur and start-up business owner. Not only do co-work spaces help individuals, they also help the community.”

“With the current work environment being what it is and knowing there is a need in Geneseo for open office space, we felt that the community could benefit from a space like Exchange St. Works,” Mickley added. “We knew we would have to adapt the model to the unique aspects of the town and felt it would also fit well with the broader renewal effort of the Alexander Lumber property.”

In partnering with his parents and Andy Moore, Jake Mickley said they also had the same vision of the space early on…”In the future, we also hope to host education events promoting STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) for kids within the community.”

And room there is at Exchange St. Works…The main building is 10,000 square feet, roughly half of which is occupied by Geneseo Child Care. There also are private offices - five smaller and three larger; in addition to one small conference room and one large conference room and an open workspace that holds approximately 15-20 additional occupants.

For the interior of Exchange St. Works, the owners worked with Ashley Moore, owner of Panoply Design Studio in Geneseo. Moore and Jackie Mickley collaborated to create a comfortable, modern industrial space with a slight rustic flair…Certain furniture pieces were made by a local furniture maker (Reclaimed Salvage), using lumber left behind by the Alexander company.

Each office has furniture, including a desk and chair, outlets, phone if desired, along with the ever-important Wi-Fi, printer and internet connection.

The larger co-work space has bigger tables with seating, as well as bar seating along the windows of the open space. There are TV connections available in the conference rooms, along with conference tables and seating. In addition, the facility is designed with a kitchen/break room area complete with all the necessities one would need for taking and enjoying lunch within the space.

Each individual office locks so no one can access the offices while they are being rented.

The first tenant at Exchange St. Works is launching a business and needed a quiet place to work away from home, a space to store product, and an area to meet with potential customers.

“We also have a realtor who wanted a professional and comfortable location and a place to meet with clients,” Mickley said. “As a third example, we have a professional who needed more than what his home office could offer, a quiet place for virtual meetings, using our high speed network, without the normal disruptions that can occur at home.”

People can rent on a monthly basis, although discounts are available for longer terms. There are no spaces to purchase, all are rental options..

Currently, there are two large private offices available to rent, along openings in the co-work space, Mickley said, and added, “We also take reservations for individual use of the conference rooms.”

In addition to the office spaces and day care facility, Exchange St. Works also has two separately-managed spaces utilized by the high school golf team and the Geneseo Youth Baseball organization.

For more information, visit exchangestworks.com. People can check availability of conference space, select a plan, and make payments conveniently all on the website.