New coworking space is the first to offer childcare in Richmond

Balance Space, a coworking space that offers onsite childcare, will officially launch in Richmond, Virginia in early January.

The original Rockville building suffered from a broken HVAC system, and the landlord refused to cover the costs, so co-founders Amyrose Miller and Bunny Young decided to move elsewhere.

“They (the landlord) gave us almost all of our money back, which was pretty fantastic,” Miller said. “It was incredibly embarrassing that we had to stop and then start over though.”

The new 11,000 square foot space is located on Patterson Avenue.

Miller said both her and Young invested about $70,000 into the company, as well as securing $25,000 from the Virginia Small Business Financing Authority.

Balance Space gives members access to coworking spaces, private offices, onsite childcare, a conference room, a podcast production room, and kitchen. Nonmembers can also rent the conference room for $25 per hour.

Childcare services include a playroom, nursing lounge for breastfeeding mothers, and a classroom where children can focus on homework, as well as child care professionals on staff.

Miller plans to use the space for her sign printing company Nouveau, and Young will offer small business counseling through her firm A Better Place Consulting.

Richmond has seen an increase in coworking spaces, including Venture X, Novel, Gather, and many more, but Balance Space is the first to feature onsite child care services.

Miller said that the two were inspired based off their own experiences with their children, but said the space extends to all working parents.