Maggie Blackham sometimes isn’t sure what her job title is, but for now she calls herself a creative entrepreneur.
“I do a lot of random things and that is the only way I know how to explain them all with one phrase,” she said.
Blackham and her husband are the new-ish owners of downtown coffee haven The Cheeky Monkey and she recently opened her most impactful project yet — a female-focused coworking space with childcare built in.
A Place for Working Mothers
When Blackham became a mom she found out, like many do, how modern workspaces aren’t as accommodating as they could be.
“As soon as I went back to work after maternity leave I realized how coworking spaces were not cut out for pumping at your desk,” she said.
Then there was the late-night Googling, something new moms know all too well. She tried to find part-time childcare for her child, but the options in Wilmington were severely limited and expensive.
In her research, she learned there were female-focused coworking spaces with childcare as an amenity in New York and LA.
“I thought, ‘someone should really do that here,’” she said, and eventually took on the mantle of creating this for the community.
As a third-generation entrepreneur, Blackham jokes — in her family if you aren’t starting a business, “they might wonder what’s wrong with you.”
She started small, putting together a Pinterest board of ideas. From there, she made spreadsheets, took meetings and made phone calls. The project grew into more of a focused reality.
In June, Elevate Coworking opened in Barclay Commons near Independence Boulevard and Shipyard.
Elevate Coworking Memberships
There are a range of membership options and even free day passes to sample the space. Members can utilize a station serving hot coffee and distraction-free working spaces and offices. There is a natural light photo studio for content creators and drumroll. . . onsite childcare.
Members also have access to networking and business growth events. Experts come to Elevate to present different topics and inspire other entrepreneurs.
“We have a unique setup here, which is great because it is not one-size-fits-all,” she said, adding there are different membership packages. These range from part-time, full-time, networking-only, private workspace memberships, and more.
Blackham chose the location because of its central geography to the rest of the community. There is plenty of available parking as opposed to downtown coworking spaces.
Blackham believes Elevate is a perfect environment for many different women across a range of industries and with different needs.
