Inside the Open Market cafe in Koreatown, about a dozen people gather in a circle to introduce themselves. They are at an LA in Common event for remote workers, using Open Market like a shared office environment.
“I thought this would be a good opportunity to meet people who are in similar situations,” says Alice Cho, a transplant from New York who’s worked remotely for the United Nations Development Program since 2020.
The pandemic sent a lot of people home from the office and many haven’t returned. Twenty-one percent of Californians say they both work from home and at the office, while 14% say they are fully remote, according to a 2023 survey by the Public Policy Institute of California.
LA in Common co-founders, Daniel Chae and Carissa Morrow, started their company in late 2023 to put on the kind of social events that allow people to find friends as adults and build a sense of community. Chae was motivated to branch into coworking pop-ups after seeing the U.S. surgeon general declare loneliness an epidemic last year. “It just reminds me that there's a need for what we're building and doing,” says Chae.
LA in Common co-founders, Daniel Chae and Carissa Morrow, often include icebreakers into their coworking pop-ups to help people make new friends. Photo credit: Megan Jamerson/KCRW.
These pop-ups are not traditional coworking arrangements where people buy a membership to a shared office. Instead, these pop-ups work out deals with restaurants and coffee shops to bring workers together during slow hours. People find out about these gatherings through Instagram and Eventbrite. Some are looking at it as a solution to loneliness after four years of work-from-home routines.
“I feel like I'm still stuck in that pandemic stay-at-home mindset and routine, even though things have opened back up now for a while,” says Matt Clevy, a writer and actor who attended the LA in Common event.
Another thing that sets these events apart is that they are relatively affordable. A monthly coworking membership at WeWork is $199, and day passes are $29. LA in Common events are around $12. Others, like one hosted by the group Cuties LA, are pay what you can.
“I want to make it easy for people to show up,” says Cuties LA CEO Sasha Jones, whose weekly coworking events for the LGBTQ community are two years running.
Sasha Jones says she uses the coworking pop-ups she hosts to get work done too. Photo credit: Megan Jamerson/KCRW.
Because the events are free, Jones asks that people buy a beverage or food to support the hosting business. One of the group’s meetups is during lunch service at The Ruby Fruit in Silver Lake. On a recent Thursday, the small strip mall space was packed and buzzing with at least a dozen people talking or working on laptops.
“There's something really nourishing about being able to be around people without forced expectations of engaging, and you still get the nourishment that comes from being around your people,” says Jones.
While both Jones and Daniel Chae organize coworking events during business hours, others are taking over venues when they are otherwise closed. Andrea Ramirez hosts weekly coworking events, through her group The Next Fun Thing, at Bar Bandini in Echo Park and The Grant in Glassell Park before they open for the evening. Ramirez shares a portion of the $18 entrance fee with the bars. “We bring the people, they provide the space, and we share the joys of our labor,” says Ramirez.
The events, where Ramirez serves coffee instead of alcohol, draw about 20 people every week. She says it can feel like a library with everyone working quietly on their laptops. Three months in, Ramirez has a number of regulars who are starting to form coworker-like relationships.
“People who recognize each other are naturally mingling and networking which is beautiful,” says Ramirez.