GoLO Jacksonville

    In an interconnected workplace, it’s becoming easier to connect, collaborate, and socialize. After all, two (or three) heads are better than one. While the workplace is becoming more interactive, mobile workers are looking for ways to connect easier and more efficiently. A mobile worker can face issues not known to the cubicle crew. For example, it takes a mobile worker eight minutes from the time they sit down to become actively engaged in work. Laptop bags, coffee mugs, iPods, cell phones…it can take a while to set up shop. In addition, a mobile worker that calls Starbucks home faces a series of other issues…find a table, get a coffee, set up. What can be done to make this easier without a clear definition of space, and make working on the go more effective?

    Coworking is a style of work which involves a shared working environment, yet independent activity. This concept gives you an on-hand network of collaborators and fellow brain stormers, as well as workspace and collaboration areas. Downtown Jacksonville will have it’s own co-work space with the opening of CoWork Jax, scheduled to open by the end of the year. After scouring the downtown landscape for the perfect co-work venue, the organization decided on the second floor of the historic Woolworth Building at the corner of Forsyth and Main, upstairs from Perdue, Inc. CoWork Jax plans to offer memberships that allow individuals or small companies to utilize workspaces for the day or for an extended period of time. The company will also offer small office spaces, as well as conference rooms with HD web conferencing and whiteboards, along with a host of collaboration specific areas developed by Turnstone and Steelcase furniture.

    The need for co-working in Jacksonville’s urban core is clear. “Downtown is a great place to bring that passion and energy together in a vibrant core,” said Elton Rivas, co-founder of Zero Confines and CoWork Jax. “We are excited to provide a shared workspace for freelancers and small businesses to grow and believe the impact could be exponential in nature.” CoWork Jax plans to announce membership and pricing information information with an opening date soon.

     Research into the habits of mobile workers led to the development of the SOTO II worktools, a collection of organizational and productivity tools by Details, a division of Steelcase.  Designed to enhance the experience of mobile workers, the SOTO II collection by Details will be launching during the winter of 2011.  “Mobile workers want to connect quickly and get working fast.  SOTO II products encourage and allow this behavior by providing the right tools to welcome to the user to the workspace,” says Jody Hanson, general manager of Details.  “Connectivity, privacy, access to personal items and quick access to power are equally important to making a mobile worker feel comfortable.” Learn more about their new collection at http://details-worktools.com/sotoii.

    Meeting space, HD web conferencing, color printing- perhaps co-working works better for your business than the back table at your local coffee shop. All this for almost the same price as your cappuccino and muffin. This is a great opportunity to GoLo to support the local business landscape…and help your own business grow.

Photo courtesy of Jason Fisher, Content Design Group

For 15 years, Miss Marva has been serving up delicious food reminiscent of her native Guyana at Caribbean Stone Restaurant, 217 W. 8th Street. In 1996, Miss Marva took over the restaurant from her brother who, at the time, was only serving vegetarian dishes. Revamping the menu was the first order of business and we, the customers, are the beneficiaries of that change! As Miss Marva said, people want to eat meat, too.

Pepper steak and rice.

While the chicken curry is a customer favorite, on a recent visit, Miss Marva served pepper steak with pigeon peas and rice. The meat was fork tender and the sauce flavorful. Thank goodness for the rice which helped to soak up every last drop of the delicious sauce. Other customer favorites include the shrimp curry with cabbage and the stewed beef. She also makes goat curry, salt fish with spinach and other delicious entrees. There are also vegetarian dishes available upon request.

Just as if she were cooking for her family, the menu changes based on the ingredients available and the inspiration of Miss Marva. However, she has been known to make any dish on the menu if requested. So, it  is a good idea to call ahead (554-9033) to see what’s cooking or to request a favorite!

While Miss Marva has been making it happen in the kitchen, she has not been able to devote much time to renovating the restaurant itself. So, SAMBA (Springfield Area Merchants and Business Association) and Preservation SOS have gotten together to “Make It Happen” for the restaurant and Miss Marva. Preservation SOS is an organization dedicated to preserve and restoring the structures and fabric that make up the Historic District of Springfield, Jacksonville, Florida.

In a 3 phase project, SAMBA and Preservation SOS will beautify the restaurant’s exterior and interior, utilizing materials and labor largely donated or steeply discounted by area merchants and suppliers. The exterior design was created by Jason Fisher of Content Design Group*. Mr. Fisher, who is also First Vice President of SAMBA, wanted to use a color scheme to highlight Miss Marva’s Caribbean roots. The crimped metal awnings add to the Caribbean themed design. Mr. Fisher’s

Rendering courtesy of Jason Fisher, Content Design Group

design adds interest and dimension to an otherwise flat exterior through the use of color and the awnings. The exterior painting will be tackled by volunteers from Preservation SOS and SAMBA (and whomever else wants to lead a hand, hint, hint) in the second phase of the project.

The first phase, the landscaping will be tackled this weekend beginning at 8 a.m. Created by Laura Byres of Yard Chicks, Inc.*, the landscape design focused on xeriscaping or using plants which are low maintenance and reduce the need for irrigation. Ms. Byres also included a beautiful stone path feature to set Caribbean Stone apart from its neighbors. The plants have largely been donated by Williams Plant Nursery and Breaking Ground Contracting, Inc.* The stones have been supplied by Stone Plus, Inc. at an extremely reasonable cost. Florida Transom has donated new wheel stops for the parking lot as part of the exterior renovation. While the labor is mostly a volunteer force, Steve Johnson Home Repairs will be leading their skills to the project.

The interior renovation is being lead by Allison Behringer of Sweet Pete’s All Natural Sweets*and SAMBA board member.

Photo courtesy of Artscape Photography

This portion of the project will be tackled at a later date. But Sargent Upholstery* has already committed to re-cover Miss Marva’s chairs to get the interior renovation started.

Come and partake of Caribbean Stone Restaurant’s delicious food and watch the changes happen! You could even lend a hand for this extreme makeover-small business style. Rumor has it that Miss Marva will be serving up chicken and rice this weekend.

Miss Marva and Jason.

* denotes a SAMBA member

Perdue Office Interiors, today

The landscape of downtown Jacksonville is changing. With many projects ongoing or upcoming to change the face of downtown, the resurgence is near. Perdue Office Interiors, a fixture in Jacksonville since 1916, was determined to help revitalize the business community downtown and relocated in 2009 to the corner of Main and Forsyth Street.

Woolworth, 1910

Betty Maid, 1950s

Originally located off of Bay Street, Perdue opened its doors in 1916 and remained downtown before relocating to the Southside over 20 years ago. That same year, Woolworth’s opened up their “five and dime” store several blocks away at Forsyth and Main. For years, that intersection was the central core of a thriving downtown community. Over the years, the Woolworth building was home to many businesses, including a Betty Maid retail store in the 1950’s, and remained at the center of one of downtown’s most pedestrian friendly areas.  After American Heritage Life left in the 1990’s, the building remained vacant for 10 years.

Perdue has a reputation for looking forward, and that view was long term. Downtown was ultimately the place to be, especially with the highly concentrated office space and no office furniture dealers downtown. Clients or customers that might never make it downtown would now have a reason to make the trip. That year, Perdue decided on the Woolworth building and began renovations. With such a historic building, a modern interior seemed an interesting juxtaposition. The space would serve as a “working showroom”, allowing customers to see the furniture being sold in use. An open, loft style feel was created and conceptualized, and Perdue moved in to the space in late October, 2009. A new, modern logo, eye-catching signage,  and shortening of the name “Perdue Office Interiors” to “Perdue, Inc.” followed suit.

Today, back in the area where the company first began, Perdue is a downtown fixture and is helping to revive a once thriving corner of Jacksonville. In addition to client meetings, holiday parties, and architecture and design events, Perdue is an Art Walk venue. A local artist is given a showroom wall, which is changed every month, with Art Walk being an opportunity to showcase local talent.

-Melissa Carvalho

Photos: Ken McCray