The working life: Choices are many at the Station House

There are a lot of perks to being a freelancer. You make your own hours, you choose your own projects, you can dip out every Friday for that Soul Cycle class in Tampa. On paper, the freelancing life seems absolutely ideal until about 2 or 3 o’clock in the afternoon when you realize that you’re just plain lonely.

Enter Station House. 

Station House, established in 2014, is one of St. Pete’s many co-working spaces and one of owner Steve Gianfiilippo, of the Gianco Company’s many projects. It is nestled in the 1911 fire station building on 1st Avenue South, and not only serves as a co-working space but is also home to real estate offices, an eyelash studio, the TeBella Tea Company and Kahwah Coffee. It is also a popular wedding venue.

An unlimited membership costs $100 and with that membership comes yoga classes, happy hours, discounts on TeBella Tea Company, Kahwah coffee products and Gianco Co. owned hotels, as well as access to the five floors of varying work environments. The first floor is a public space and coffeeshop while the upper floors serve as private offices and the aforementioned co-working spaces. For an additional $25, members also receive full access to Hyde House, Station’s House’s sister location in Tampa’s Hyde Park neighborhood. 

Over the last three months, Sabrina Rivera, Campus Director of Station House, has seen a dramatic increase in membership. The Station House offices are now fully occupied and there have been between 20-30 new memberships per month. Station House did not close its doors to members during Covid, and this came as a blessing to many of its faithful occupants.

Joe Miller joined Station House in April and spends 8-10 hours a day plus weekends at his fourth-floor desk. He works for Bitcoin Depot, housing bitcoin ATMS all over the country, and while he would prefer to work on the fifth floor in total quiet, he has too many phone calls throughout the day. Although he could take the phone calls from the fourth floor common room, he chooses instead to utilize the floor’s private phone room with its couch and neon wall sign that says ‘I woke up like this.’

Miller attends the yoga classes, the happy hours and the breakfasts and said he made a lot of friends through Station House.

“I’ll pay $100 a month to get me out of the house, no question,” he said from behind his desk. Miller has the unlimited membership which does not include the dedicated desk – however he arrives early enough that he is always able to score his favorite seat. In fact, other members seem to know and respect that the desk along the back wall belongs to Miller.

Taylor Welch, a real estate agent with the recently founded Silver+Welch Collective, opened her office on the first floor of the Station House two weeks ago. She said she loves the architecture of the building – the archways, the elevator doors, the fact that you can go to any of the five floors and get a different inspiration. She’s excited to attend the breakfasts and happy hours because they all serve as networking events. 

“Everyone is collaborative,” she said. “The nature of this place is, how can we help each other?”

Station House is open Monday through Friday from 8 to 5 p.m., with unlimited building access for members.  More information here.