Hive creating a buzz in McNamara Lane

Andrew and Prue Swain

Step inside Prue and Andrew Swain’s co-working space on McNamara Lane and you’ll find Hive is aptly named.

As soon as you step inside, there is a distinct ‘buzz’ about the place. In the large open foyer area there are people discussing business in informal meeting spaces, others chat over cups of tea in the spacious communal kitchen, while through an open doorway a dozen people are busy at laptops in the ‘hotdesking’ room.

“We bought this place in July last year and then we've just gutted it,” says Prue, talking through the extensive renovations she and electrician husband Andrew went through to turn the old St Vincent de Paul’s into a modern professional office space.

“My husband is really clever and that helps, he did all the work and I did all the design and so he and I project managed it together.

“We had to literally gut it and start again, it was a massive push for all tradesmen to get it done so everyone can move in. It took us until March and then we opened the week before COVID hit.”

While a global pandemic is far from the ideal time to open an occasional co-working office space, the nature of the Hive means it is highly adaptable to suit many different needs.

The upstairs of the building is comprised of one large office along with 10 smaller offices, all of which are leased on a permanent basis.

“We have a waiting list a mile long for the upstairs office space,” says Prue, who also has found steady demand for the downstair hot desks, which can be hired by the day, as well as conference rooms and meeting rooms which are hired by the hour.

“The idea of this is that small businesses can still look good and look professional by being in here. So the concept was to not just have a big open place, but also permanent private offices.”

The businesses that occupy those offices are extremely varied. There are grain traders, a mortgage broker, graphic designer, virtual assistant and film producers.

And that mix is all part of Prue’s design.

“I heard one of the tenants say, what they love about being here is that is not for just one person. You go to a co-working space in Sydney and it is for the designers, or there is one for the for the digital people — it is all the same type of people all in the same space. But for this to work I was careful to select a mix of people, so anyone can walk in here or not feel that it is not for them,” she says.

The idea for Hive was sparked by a conversation with a friend of Prue’s who was having trouble finding suitable professional space here in Orange.

“He said he couldn't find anywhere nice and I thought how good would it be to have somewhere inspiring, to make you feel fabulous and feel really productive,” says Prue.

“And I think it is necessary, actually because there is a huge influx of people from Sydney and they are used to having this type of professional space. So I think it is time that Orange actually steps up. If we are going to compete other regional towns, I think it is so important that we do have spaces like this.”

The rates Prue charges her tenants is surprisingly reasonable and she does not sign people up to long-term leases.

“If you create a beautiful space and you enjoy where you work, then why would they want to leave?” says Prue, who also sees the Hive as a launching pad for small businesses that couldn’t otherwise afford their own quality office space.

“People have signed up mostly six months. It is what I envisage for this: for businesses to outgrow the space, they move on and then we get someone else.  So that's where ‘Hive 2 might come in— bigger offices.”

Not that Prue is jumping to take on another project so soon after completing such a massive renovation.

“But I definitely think we need a Hive 2… maybe even in Bathurst — I've had Forbes Condo, and Narromine contact… But if somebody else wants to do a Hive 2. I am happy to not go through the headache!”