First Time At The Bourse?

So you’ve read a bit about this coworking thing and want to see it in person. That’s great! The only way to know whether it is right for you or not is to come by and check out our beautiful New Haven Coworking space. Here’s a practical guide to getting yourself to The Bourse and working for a day.

First off, when can I visit?

If you’re coming for the first time, you need to visit us between the hours of 9AM-5PM Tuesday through Saturday unless you reached out and made an appointment. It’s always best to send us a quick email at bourse@boursenewhaven.com to let us know you’re coming so we know when to expect you.

How do I get there?

Well, our building is pretty hard to miss, but our space is a little harder to get to. We’re located at 839 Chapel St. New Haven, CT 06511 at the English Building. It looks like this…

If you’re driving,  Google or Mapquest 839 Chapel Street . Parking in downtown New Haven is easier than you might think. There’s metered parking directly across from our building as well as on all the streets around the block. In addition, there’s a surface lot directly across from our building, reached from Center Street, and of course dozens of structured parking garages with thousands of spaces within 5 minutes walk.  If you park on the street, be careful not to park in spots where the buses stop and realize meters have time limits. New Haven’s not shy about tickets.

If you’re coming by public transportation, the C, J, L, M, O, D, F, G, and Q buses all stop right in front of our building.

And by train, the State Street Street station is only a block away, and Union Station is a 10-15 minute walk.

Okay, I’m at the English Building, what now?

You’ll want to stop in the English Building Market on the first floor. Carol is usually manning the shop and can lead you upstairs. You’ll want to pay her for a daypass or show your receipt if you paid online.  She or Robert will take you up to the second floor and give you the lay of the land if it’s your first time.

Shiny, spacious tables are in abundance at The Bourse for your working convenience.

So you took the elevator or stairs up to The Bourse. You’ll enter into a warm library space and see Sarah Aldrich Pilates to your right and a loft style workspace up a couple of steps to your left. Grab a coffee, tea or hot chocolate at the kitchen next to the steps and settle in at any desk, table or couch that suits your comfort or, if your coming with colleagues, that accommodates your group.

Who are all these people?

You’ll never know if you don’t ask. Unlike a coffee shop where everyone sits behind perimeter force shields, coworking is purposefully collegial. Although it’s not required, it’s OK to introduce yourself. Some people may be outgoing enough to come up and introduce themselves to you. Some may be deep in work or a little shy. But everyone is friendly. If you cowork here, you are expected to never refuse an introduction. Always take the time out to say a quick hello to anyone curious and brave enough to approach you.

You’ll find some people aren’t even fellow members. Staff and visitors from Salon Lulu, Sarah Aldrich Pilates, New Haven Rolfing, Breathing Room Yoga, Robert Orr Architects, Studio 210 Architects, Carol Chamberlin Landscape Architects and English Building Market alike all pass through our 2nd floor space every once in a while. Don’t be embarrassed if you discover they’re not a coworker, they love to get to know you just as much. Who says one of them couldn’t be your next big lead or opportunity?

You’re not going to parade me around to everyone, are you?

Absolutely not. You won’t be forced to say hi to everyone or anyone, although we certainly encourage you to. You left the home office for a little company, after all, didn’t you? You can immediately take a seat, put on your headphones, and get straight to work. Just have the common courtesy to be approachable and helpful to anyone looking to get to know the people in the room.

The Ground Rules

1) There’s no need to whisper. We may look like a library, but we’re not actually one. Some of us love overhearing your conversations and occasionally butting in…

2) …But no yelling. If you need to talk to people across the room, get up and walk to them. We’re a loft, and voices do carry.

3) Cell phone conversations, Skype conferences, etc. are fine, but please respect your fellow coworkers and make your calls so they don’t disturb. We have a comfortable wing chair in the stair hall and closed conference upstairs if you want privacy. We plan on installing some phone booths in the future.

4) There are a series of common courtesies we shouldn’t even have to mention: Clean up after yourself, leave the space better than it was before you came, don’t take other people’s food or drinks, don’t be rude, don’t hog bandwidth… We’re not going to even waste multiple bullet points on them, but please review the membership agreement.

5) We trust our members and our visitors. And we don’t watch over everyone like hawks. If you signed up for a half-day pass and need an extra 10-15 minutes to finish up, that’s fine, but please respect the limits you’ve paid for.