MORGAN PARK — Even home-based workers need an office from time to time, and the Beverly Area Planning Association is hoping to fill that niche for its members.
The neighborhood group will unveil its Small Business Resource Center on Thursday. The modest, first-floor office features two desks — one with a desktop computer and the other with space for a laptop.
Users of the resource center in the association's building at 1987 W. 111th St. in Morgan Park will also have Wi-Fi access as well as use of the office printer, copy machine and paper shredder, said Margot Burke Holland, executive director of the neighborhood group.
The group's community room is also available to host small conferences or meetings. And office supplies are available to those who need something in a pinch, Holland said on Tuesday.
"My whole idea of how BAPA should go is just back to basics," said Holland, adding that the resource center is an easy way to engage members and provide a service.
The resource center will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays and by appointment in the evening, Holland said.
"If it becomes popular, we are open to weekend hours for sure," she said.
The space is not meant as a permanent office, but rather as an outpost for workers when their home office might be occupied by a home-improvement contractor, visiting relatives or children home unexpectedly from school, Holland said.
In this regard, Holland views the space as an alternative to the public library as place for mobile workers to find temporary office space away from home.
She thanked the team of supporters who came in to help organize the resource center and transform what had become a cluttered room into useful workspace.
"Volunteers came in and helped us organize it and get everything in order," she said.
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