On the quaint stretch of College Street, a road that extends from the height of Cherry Hall to the greenway along Barren River, stands a new business tucked away on the second floor of a 130-year old historic building. The business is Ment Cowork. 

The first coworking space to come to Bowling Green, Ment had a soft opening in June before having a ribbon cutting ceremony in August. The space is located above Spencer’s Coffee, overlooking Fountain Square Park. The concept of coworking spaces has been around since 2007 and started out in larger cities before coming to smaller cities such as Bowling Green.

Hayley Hoback, Ment’s community manager, is often the first face to greet clients at the facility — and the first to explain the concept of coworking to them.  

“It’s pretty much what it sounds like: community working,” Hoback said. “It’s kind of a networking experience. An example I’ve given in the past, is say we have a magazine editor and photographer and they’re coworking for the day, and the magazine editor is needing a photographer — they can cowork. Because they have that relationship with each other due to Ment, that would be a collaboration that could occur.” 

The name Ment intentionally sounds like mint, the herb. The staff wanted to convey the new and fresh nature of a coworking space. The name Ment also links back to the concepts and attributes the staff hopes the coworking space lends to its clients, such as achievement, enjoyment, movement and entertainment, Hoback said 

 Hoback hopes that when Ment members bring their clients to the space they’ll be wowed and have a great experience, helping the members further their businesses.

Ment’s office spaces range from one-person to four-person offices. Ment also offers a coworking membership that allows members to use a variety of communal space without a private office. Memberships start at $200 per month, and day passes are available for $40.

Ment is an ideal place for those with entrepreneurial spirit that don’t desire a brick and mortar store or are just starting out their business ventures, Hoback said. The coworking space can work well for companies with employees in Bowling Green but headquarters elsewhere, individuals traveling to Bowling Green who need a space to work, or freelancers desiring a communal environment that can lead to networking. The demographics of clients range in age, but a good share are millennials, 21-34 year olds. 

Despite the transient nature of some of the clientele, many small, local businesses are also in need of office space. One such business is VIP Magazine, which leases an office at Ment. 

Despite the big city concept and the use of Ment as a waypoint between cities by some of the clients, Ment’s history is firmly rooted locally. Hoback is a 2016 alumnus of WKU’s public relations and marketing programs. The owner of Ment, JD Hasse, is also a graduate of WKU.  

“That’s literally why I’m here: I had great mentors while at Western,” Hoback said. “JD, my boss, was one of those mentors.”