New co-working space opens in Bowling Green

BOWLING GREEN — When Kati Thompson routinely drove by an abandoned building in downtown Bowling Green, she said she saw opportunity.

Ms. Thompson, director of Bowling Green Economic Development, thought it could be used to unite the community in some way but said she knew it was too much for one organization to take on.

“It wasn’t going to pencil out to be profitable without some grant funding,” she said Thursday. “I knew of some grants that were available and we just went for it.”

One year later, Bowling Green business leaders and owners saw that opportunity come to life in the form of the Four Corners Center + COWORK at 248 S. Main St. They celebrated the opening of the revitalized building with a ceremony and open house.

The space is a 11,000-square-foot shared office and co-working space, and an apartment building on the building’s second floor, Ms. Thompson said. The building houses the Bowling Green Chamber of Commerce, Visit BG, the Downtown Bowling Green Special Improvement District, and Bowling Green Economic Development.

“It continues to allow for our Four Corners Center organizations to remain in an office space together permanently,” Ms. Thompson said. “It also creates a space for those people that just need a smaller office or who maybe wouldn’t be able to rent a full-scale [space] but keeps them in our community.”

The new co-working space and office used to house a bicycle shop on the first floor but the building was left vacant in 2025 after the shop moved out, Ms. Thompson said.

The project was the result of a $1.5 million investment into downtown Bowling Green and was also paid in part through a $487,000 JobsOhio Vibrant Communities grant.

Four Corners opened itself to businesses in September and has already found tenants, which include H20 Church, Progress Point Properties, Ark Media, and Mann Made Media, Ms. Thompson said.

Drew Mann, owner of the Mann Made Media and the Ark Collective marketing companies, moved into the building from his home, which acted as his business office, he said.

Mr. Mann said it’s been “crazy” to see the progress made from when the project first started to “where it’s at now with everybody in here.”

“It’s been great,” he said of the space.

“This place is B.G.,” Mr. Mann said. “Being a part of the community is great. I get [an] office with the community where if we were to go somewhere else, we’re not going to be with the community. We’re going to be our own little entity over here, but we’re right downtown. Everybody knows where we’re at and we’re easy to reach.”

Nathan Polak, communications lead for the Bowling Green Chamber of Commerce, said area organizations being under one roof helps promote efficiency among them.

“We all work so well together,” he said. “There’s no more walking down lengthy hallways to ask each other questions. If we need anything, we are right next to each other. [For] a team that collaborates so well prior to this move, this really just facilitates more and more collaboration. It’s fantastic.”