Co-Here - The Beginning

This building is over 150 years old and was the town's Baptist Church from 1872 right through to 2018 when we took it over. Why take on an old church? We were adamant that we wanted our business to be in the town centre and that we should take on one of Dumfries's many empty buildings rather than heading out of town to an industrial estate.

On hindsight it was a major undertaking. The building provided a great home for our first business, Second Nature Online, but Covid and Brexit caused so many issues with our ethical homeware supplies that our dreams for the building fell by the wayside. Our early plans for coworking were also shelved in early 2021 for the same reason.

But the idea never really went away.

As part of my own business survival I've been doing more and more business advice and training contracts, and the message from small businesses has been consistent - more networking facilities needed, more places to meet, learn and share space. Working alone can be great for focus and progress, but we all recognise the times when we would rather be sitting in company - and 3even better, in the company of people who understand what we are doing.

That message, combined with a building siting waiting to fulfil its potential, felt like the right nudge.

Recently I delivered my first training event here. As any trainer knows, attendance can drop on the day — but I had more people than expected, which was a great start. The session finished at 2pm. And that's when it clicked. When invited to stay on, most people did. For a further three hours we chatted and helped each other over cups of tea. One person launched a brand new website there and then. Two of us coached clients. One attendee retreated to a booth to get on with their homework.

That's exactly what Co-Here is meant to be. Not just a desk and a wifi password — a place where small business owners can work, learn, create and share.

There's a saying I came across recently — there's no such thing as ready, there's only now. The building isn't quite finished and we are working through the list. But we decided that waiting for everything to be perfect wasn't the answer.

Hire the space by the day at prices that make it worth it. Come and have a look — we'd love to see you.

The Baptist Church Circa 1910 - Has not changed at all!