A remarkable new coworking space is now open in Jersey City’s Powerhouse Arts District. Narra Collective is a family-friendly collaborative office at 333 Washington Street that hopes to bridge the gap between professional and personal lives. They emphasize community and offer everything from hot desks to private offices, plus high-speed wi-fi and unlimited coffee and tea.
Perhaps their most unique offering is that members can bring their children to Narra on weekday afternoons from 3-5 p.m. and all day on Saturdays. The kids can explore the family lounge while mom and dad continue working. Their motto is “Designed by Parents, Made for Parents.”
Sheila Burmistrova, the Founder and CEO at Narra, left her job as Head of HR and Operations for a biotech firm after having her first baby. She knew she couldn’t keep up the long hours and be the parent she wanted to be, but she still wanted to build something amazing. Drawing on her career in fostering supportive workplace environments, she hoped to develop a coworking community in Jersey City with a family-first emphasis.
“With Narra, the mission really is to help working parents to juggle and create balance with their professional career and their lives as parents taking care of their kids,” notes Burmistrova. “We want to provide that space where you can work, where you can do something that you feel really passionate about and network with other moms or parents in the community. And at the same time have a space where your children are safe and they can meet other kids.”
Born in the Philippines, Burmistrova drew upon her heritage in redesigning the 3rd floor of the circa-1900 former industrial space at 333 Washington Street with Filipino artistry top of mind. Additionally, the Narra tree is a symbol that embodies the ethos of Narra Collective. It is the national tree of the Philippines and represents strength and durability. Her father told her that often small villages and towns back home wouldn’t have a proper place to meet, but people would converge and find community under the canopy of the Narra tree.
Burmistrova adds, “It’s my vision for Narra to be a community space and with the backstory with my parents, I feel like it’s very fitting in terms of the name. It perfectly symbolizes what working parents go through day in and day out in their lives. They have to be robust. They have to be rooted in terms of their values in order to support their families.”
Narra Collective offers a variety of family-friendly, flexible membership packages, parenting workshops, business seminars, a vibrant community and brand new, comfortable coworking spaces for individuals and teams. To learn more check out their website and learn about upcoming events on Instagram @narra.collective.
