To kick off 2019, our team at Be Remarkable started off with some inspiration, via a quick trip to Detroit, Michigan. Why Detroit? To visit Pony Ride, a non profit organization that operates on a totally different level. Pony Ride was founded in a massive 30,000 square foot building that was purchased in foreclosure in 2011 and now houses about 60 social good organizations/businesses at any given time.
Originally used as a printing facility, the building was built out for traditional office spaces; think linoleum and carpeted floors, covered windows, drop ceilings, etc. With the help of volunteers and the soon-to-be first tenants, the building was slowly restored to an open warehouse space, flooded with natural light. And this is where Pony Ride’s mission lies: to provide affordable space in a positive, community driven environment to businesses, non profits and artists that are doing a social good.
Taking a tour through Pony Ride was extremely inspirational and motivational. To learn about some of the various companies housed in Pony Ride and see what a difference that this building as a collective brings to the community (and beyond) was more than we expected. The space itself is industrial yet modern, seemingly never ending and there is a palpable buzz within its walls, with all this positivity coming to life.
To give you a little bit of insight about how Pony Ride operates, there are currently over 60 residents that rent out space on a month to month basis. The biggest draw to building is that the rent, utilities included, is only 50-65 cents per square foot! Entrepreneurs, artists, small businesses and new non profits are welcomed to make Pony Ride their home...but also encouraged to outgrow it. By having such a low overhead, the tenants are able to focus and allocate their finances to growth and usually end up leaving the building within a few years to their own private space. Yet not all of the contribution comes from the low rent; by housing all of these diverse businesses under one roof, there is such a community pool of resources amongst the tenants. Taking it a step further, tenants are required to provide at least 6 hours of free classes per month, to share their knowledge and expertise within their field.
Throughout the year, we will be featuring some of the amazing organizations we met while on our tour. Please feel free to check out Pony Ride’s website for a full list of
current residents and their work!
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