Most of the year, the first floor at The Forge is where people take a call, grab a coffee or lose a game of ping pong. In December it turns into the best party room downtown.
Getting the room ready
It starts with lights. Strings of them go up along the mezzanine, around the rope wall and across the long brick room, and a couple of Christmas trees take their spots by the kitchen.
The party
Then the food comes out on the kitchen island, the doors open and the room fills up: members, founders we’ve backed, neighbors from downtown, and friends who keep meaning to come by.
A little something for the team
Some years the party has a theme. One year the whole first floor turned into a 1920s speakeasy for a Christmas murder mystery, with costumes, wanted posters and a champagne tower.
And some years it’s personal. One December, Christmas bonuses came with a hand-drawn card for each person on the team, every one an inside joke.
Why we keep doing it
A coworking space is only as good as the people in it. A night like this is when the person two desks over becomes someone you actually know, and that’s when the introductions, the advice and the next idea start to happen.
Throw your own
The whole first floor, with the long brick room, the lounge, the kitchen island and the arcade, can be booked for your own holiday party. It holds up to 40 people, from $300 an hour or up to $2,000 for the day.
