RALEIGH — Loading Dock, one of the Triangle’s homegrown co-working spaces, is getting ready to add two new offices in Wake County.

One will be in west Raleigh scheduled to open in late 2020, and the other is in Wake Forest slotted for the first half of 2021.

That would bring Loading Dock’s total number of spaces to five across the Triangle — with others located off Atlantic Avenue and in the Glenwood South and Prince Hall neighborhoods.

“We ultimately want to be a key player in community engagement, community development and economic development in our region,” Loading Dock’s director of community Clark Rinehart told WRAL TechWire.

“We hope Loading Dock will be a part of what continues to make Raleigh a great place to live, work and play.”

A rendering of a planned Loading Dock co-working space in downtown Wake Forest. Source: Loading Dock

Source: Loading Dock

However, as Rinehart points out, they aren’t doing it alone.

In this particular instance,  the Wake Forest Business and Industry Partnership (WFBIP) approached the co-working space about creating a collaborative workspace in the Town of Wake Forest and northern Wake County.

As part of the initiative, the Town of Wake Forest will be the first tenant, with WFBIP  already signing up to a long-term lease for space there at around $65,000. That injection of funds will help Loading Dock and the owner of the building to invest in transforming the space.

Already, the area is being served by other spaces like Hatch Coworking and Wake Forest Coworking.

Still, Rinehart believes there’s enough demand to bring new offerings.

“We see an opportunity to connect Raleigh to Wake Forest/Northern Wake County through our brand and workspaces. We’re team players and know that our company isn’t the right fit for everyone; every co-working space has its own personality. So we think there is room for different kinds of operators in the market, even though it’s a smaller market than Raleigh.”

He added Loading Dock appeals to a broader base of entrepreneurs, “not just tech ones.”

“As of today, we don’t have any other plans to expand, but we’re open to growing beyond five spaces as long as we can do it sustainably,” says Rinehart. “We have had conversations about growth 2021 and beyond, but Raleigh prices are becoming harder and harder to deal with while aiming to provide premium, professional and approachable workspace for entrepreneurs. So, if we expand beyond five spaces, it will likely be in areas that connect parts of the region where other brands probably aren’t willing to go.

Co-working space Loading Dock opens third office in Raleigh’s ‘underserved’ east side