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Free Range Office in Wicker Park Open to Anyone in Need of Work Space

By Alisa Hauser | January 7, 2014 11:43am
 Free Range Office, a new co-working space at 2141 W. North Ave. in Wicker Park.
Free Range Office, 2141 W. North Ave.
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WICKER PARK — If quitting your job and becoming an entrepreneur is one of your New Year's resolutions — or if you've got cabin fever from working out of your home — a new "co-working space" in Wicker Park can help.

"Entrepreneurs are putting their noses to the ground, the weather does not faze them. People want to get busy, get productive," said Liane Jackson, owner of Free Range Office at 2141 W. North Ave, 2nd Floor.

Located two blocks west of the Milwaukee, Damen and North avenues intersection, Free Range Office opened in late November and offers daily and monthly office rentals in a second-floor loft. 

On Monday, a Wicker Park-based business owner was carting a whiteboard and office supplies to his new private office inside Free Range, Jackson said. Jackson, however, was not there herself due to the freezing weather. 

 Liane Jackson, founder of Free Range Office, a co-working office space at 2141 W. North Ave., 2nd Floor.
Liane Jackson, founder of Free Range Office, a co-working office space at 2141 W. North Ave., 2nd Floor.
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Heather Ahrens

But on Tuesday,  Jackson, who lives in Roscoe Village, said she planned to come to Free Range because she's received calls from people wanting to use a free day pass due to the fact they've been working from home in the cold subzero temperatures.

"Nobody wants to do all their business from a coffee shop, it's not the best option," Jackson said.

Free Range Office's rates, which range from $20 for a day pass to $750 for a private office for a month, can be viewed here.

Free Range provides space for 50 people in an "open area" as well as three private offices and "phone booths" for those needing to make private phone calls, Jackson said.

Amenities in the 4,000 square-foot loft include free Wi-Fi, printing, a dedicated desk, access to a kitchen and free coffee, though perks vary depending on membership levels.

Those who are monthly club members or rent private offices like the business owner who moved in on Monday get "anytime access" and can enter by using a secure keypad, Jackson said.

At the end of January, Jackson said she's planning to host a "Quit Your Job Bootcamp" that will be run by business and life coaches, financial planners and successful entrepreneurs who will give attendees "the nuts and bolts" for how to start their own business.

A former lawyer and journalist, Jackson is relatively new to the entrepreneurial world herself. Although she began plans for Free Range in 2011, she resigned as press secretary for Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart and Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle  in late 2012 before opening the new business this fall.

"You meet so many independent people, it's a young vibrant group. I knew there would be a demand for space and for somewhere to go to be productive and to meet other independent workers," Jackson said of her experience thus far at Free Range.

Current members of Free Range include small business owners, a remote worker that works for an educational company, a public relations executive and a working mother who works three days a week from home and "needs to get out of the house and go somewhere," Jackson said

"Companies are un-tethering their employees now," Jackson said of telecommuters.

Other new members are a few developers from a start-up company that makes apps. 

The developers relocated from 1871, a large co-working space inside of the Merchandise Mart Downtown, to Wicker Park.

"They wanted to be closer to home and have a shorter commute," Jackson said.

For more information, contact Free Range Office at 312-725-3063.  Free Range Office is located at 2141 W. North Ave., 2nd Floor.