100 GREAT BUSINESS IDEAS • 65Creating places where people want to be—whether to socialize,
relax, or simply carry out everyday activities such as reading or
working—can become a profi table product.
The idea
At fi rst glance, this concept appears similar to “brand spaces.”
However, there is a crucial difference: “being spaces” make the
idea of a desirable social setting the chief selling point and core
product—a fundamental aspect of the business.
Being spaces are particularly popular in cities where cramped
apartments, claustrophobic offi ces, and sometimes unsafe public
areas prompt people to seek a more relaxing change of scene. Trend
Watching, an organization documenting consumer trends, described
the concept of being spaces as “... urban dwellers trading their
lonely, cramped living rooms for the real-life buzz of commercial
living-room-like settings, where catering and entertainment aren’t
just the main attraction, but are there to facilitate small offi ce/living
room activities like watching a movie, reading a book, meeting
friends and colleagues, or doing your admin.”
While many successful businesses, such as coffee house franchise
Starbucks and book retailers Borders, blend the idea of a being space
with other products, there is an increasing number of businesses
devoted to providing customers with nothing other than simply
a place to be. Paragraph NY is one such company. With monthly
memberships from $100, it provides a 2,500 square foot loft space
near Union Square divided into a writing room and a lounge area.