CURIOUS?
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Tamworthians might have noticed the addition of two women lifted from the cover of a 1931 Treloars Department Store catalogue and a mysterious staircase to somewhere on Peel Street.
It's Dpartmnt, a flexible work space for freelancers and small businesses who are missing the opportunity for water cooler conversation that can lead to more interesting places.
Working from home can be an isolating experience, and an unproductive place for some to be, founder Sam Treloar said.
"I'm one of those guys who can't work from home, my house is always immaculate when I work from home but I don't get very much work done," he said.
"Instead I manage to mow the lawns and do all those jobs I've been putting off."
Curiosity is a fundamental value we hold closely because you never know where it will take a business
- Sam Treloar
The idea is to create an office space with hot desks, dedicated desks and private offices that encourage collaboration and innovation.
Similar to a gym membership, people who use Dpartmnt can pop in and out as they please.
It's an alternative for business people with overseas clients that work unusual hours to avoid disrupting home life, or for tree-changers to be able to chase their careers outside of Sydney, Mr Treloar said.
"People are demanding to have more flexibility," he said.
"We want to remove the barriers for people who have a side hustle they want to take to the next step or pursue an idea they might have been sitting on for a while.
"Curiosity is a fundamental value we hold closely because you never know where it will take a business."
The development was influenced by requests from the CBD business community for centrally located, flexible work spaces, Mr Treloar said.
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It's inside the old Treloars Department Store, and both the name and the design are a nod to its history.
"The two ladies at the entrance, we discovered through the Tamworth Historical Society and dug it out of the archives where it was about an A5 size page," he said.
"It's a recognition of what this building was originally."
The space will be entirely accessible to people with disabilities and have all the technological mod-cons expected in a business space.
And, Dpartmnt is still taking suggestions.
"We really encourage anyone who might be interested to sign up to our mailing list or let us know what's important to them in a space like this," Mr Treloar said.
The space is at 307 Peel Street and is expected to open soon.