Marcell Jackson. (Picture by Justin Gordon/Carvd N Stone)

The pandemic has lasted longer than any of us could of expected, which means more time at home. According to the Pew Research Center, in 2020, 71% of Americans were working from home. Yet, not everyone has an at-home office. As a result, the demand for co-working spaces has increased.

Two Milwaukee entrepreneurs saw this need and decided to make a difference in their communities. Ambition Center MKE and Wellspace MKE are two co-working spaces tailored to the Black community, people of color, and underrepresented communities.

Marcell Jackson, owner of Ambition Center, opened his space to support startups and to provide resources to entrepreneurs that usually wouldn’t have them. According to data Jackson found, only 36% of remote workers have office space.

“We’re here. We’re trying to drive change in the city,” Jackson said. “It’s change forever.”

Ambition Center is 3,300 sq. ft. and opened in late 2021. The co-working space has dedicated desks in a shared office and private offices. The space also includes high-speed wifi, a media room, conference rooms, free parking, mailing services, space for member events, and more.

Jackson has received funding from the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp.'s Main Street Bounceback Grants program and the Riverworks Business Improvement District, along with self-funding the center.

Jackson knows that most people are dealing with isolation, so he understands the impact his center can and will have in the city. His goal is to provide a positive community for underrepresented entrepreneurs, freelancers, creatives and remote professionals.

“[Ambition Center] is a launch pad for other businesses,” he said.

Ambition Center MKE is pictured above and is located at 530 E Vienna Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53212. (Pictures by Justin Gordon/Carvd N Stone)

Wellspace MKE is a collective working space for mental health and wellness providers.

The 1,300 sq. ft. space has two Mindspace offices and one Bodyspace office for licensed wellness providers. The entire space is fully furnished, so the members can immediately start meeting with their clients. The space also has a community room that can be booked for meetings.

“I want to be able to provide the providers with the ability to get started to scale up or scale down,” said Esperanza Winters, owner of Wellspace MKE.

Winters opened Wellspace MKE because she knows the struggles of self practitioners, and gaining access to a quality location. She’s a licensed professional counselor and has over 15 years of working in mental health.

In 2017, Winters founded The Practice MKE: a modern counseling boutique.

Esperanza Winters. (Picture by Justin Gordon/Carvd N Stone)

According to Winters, over half of her cliental are women. She stated that women, especially Black women, feel welcomed at Wellspace MKE because they don’t have to explain who they are.

In the midst of the pandemic, Winters just want to provide an opportunity for others. She even has plans on opening a second location to keep up with the demand.

“It’s really important to have spaces that represent us…to have a space where you know the money is coming back to the community,” she said.