Root & Rise opens inclusive workspace
Open and airy, professional yet whimsical, Root & Rise is a comfortable, inclusive space for remote workers featuring convenient access to Waynesville’s downtown restaurants, bars and shops.
Cory Vaillancourt photo
Waynesville’s newest co-working space is not a corner suite or a cubicle farm — Root & Rise, located on South Main Street, is designed to be welcoming, affordable and collaborative, with a purpose that extends beyond laptops and lattes.
“Having a space where people could build community and come together but also share learning has always been important to me,” said Printer McIntosh, who along with Randy Knight and Leandra Wagner co-founded the workspace not only to provide sorely needed office amenities downtown but also to help sustain Haywood County’s premier LGBTQ advocacy organization, Pride on Main.
The idea didn’t come overnight; founders say it grew from a simple observation about Haywood County’s public spaces and the people who use them. As McIntosh, who with their wife co-owns foster-based animal rescue organization Misfit Mountain, told The Smoky Mountain News, there’s not a lot of inclusive spaces where members of the LGBTQ community can feel safe and comfortable.
Pricing is intended to undercut big-city competitors, especially in Asheville. The space offers two monthly membership options plus a low-cost day pass pitched at a symbolic number.
“They’re lucky numbers,” Knight said of the $7.77 walk-in rate, adding that comparable day passes in Asheville can run around $30.
Memberships come with practical perks. The $75 “Rise” membership includes up to 15 days of access each month, a guest pass and one [non-alcoholic] drink from Roll Up Herbal Bar — conveniently located right next door.
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The $100 “Rooted” membership includes up to 20 days a month, three guest passes, two drinks and the same amenities. A tap-in entry system will let members come and go during set hours. Full 24-hour access is not yet set and will depend on demand.
Amenities focus on comfort and productivity rather than walls and partitions; community members put substantial work into renovating what was once a yoga studio to create a comfy space.
The open, airy plan mixes hard chairs and soft seating, with power outlets and USB connections throughout, a standing desk, high-speed internet, sound-dampened meeting pod for private phone calls or audio recording and a coffee and tea station.
The space is also dog-friendly and geared toward hosting gatherings in off-peak hours with a digital projector for presentations or community events — like an upcoming “queer prom” scheduled for Dec. 13. The event is free, with donations accepted.
“We are doing that in a way where we’re going to make sure everyone’s covered, like we’re having people donate prom dresses, and there’s a hairdresser here that has agreed to do prom hair for people,” Wagner said. “We try to do that kind of thing with every event that we’ll have.”
That emphasis on interaction distinguishes Root & Rise from more traditional co-working concepts that lean on cubicles or closed-door suites. Knight, whose full-time job is completely remote, said the draw is not based on showing up to sit at some solitary desk.
If the co-working space is the business side, Pride on Main is the mission side — the nonprofit’s next-door entrance is separate for privacy. Inside, the resource center offers bathrooms with showers, computers, printers and a food pantry with grab-and-go basic supplies. There are hats, gloves and donated jackets for cold weather, plus shirts in different sizes for people who are unhoused.
Pride on Main is the host of Waynesville’s annual Pride parade, but the year-round work that goes into the free event costs more than one might think. Earlier this fall, Root & Rise got a boost from about 50 sustaining donors who signed up at $20 a month. Those small contributions helped the founders secure and outfit the workspace, and now the plan is for Root & Rise to cover a larger share of fixed costs as memberships grow.
“There are many ways that contributions from our 50 donors, and also now from Root & Rise, will help cover those [Pride on Main] costs and help in maintaining that space,” McIntosh said.
An open house on Nov. 14 will give the public a first look, with a ribbon cutting at 1 p.m. Visitors can tour the space, located in the rear lower level at 60 South Main St., and learn about membership options.
If the concept works, hybrid workers will find an alternative to the kitchen table. Freelancers will find a place to meet clients. Pride on Main will gain predictable revenue to cover basic necessities and contribute to a mutual aid fund. And a community will grow stronger.
“It’s a place to work and to network,” Knight said. “But it’s also a place to meet your neighbors.”
Learn more by visiting rootandriseccw.com.
Grand opening
Root & Rise, a new community co-working space in the heart of downtown Waynesville, will host a grand opening on Friday, Nov. 14 from noon until 8 p.m., with a ribbon-cutting at 1 p.m. Tour the space, meet the co-founders and learn more about membership options. Drinks from Roll Up Herbal Bar, food by 828 Market. Free. Root & Rise is located at 60 S. Main Street, Waynesville — on the lower rear level, behind the Scotsman. For more information, visit rootandriseccw.com.
