MARTINSVILLE, Va. – Running a small business in Southside just got a little easier.
The TAD Space in Martinsville after being open for a few months, had its grand opening Friday. The visionary behind it, Wayne Draper, refers to it as the playground for all creatives.
The goal is to give businesses a space and the resources to get on their feet and eventually start a more thriving business community in Martinsville. Convenience is key.
What was once an antique mall in Uptown Martinsville is now home to a grand ballroom, five executive conference rooms, multiple private office suites, a professional recording studio and a podcast studio. Businesses pay daily, weekly and monthly rates to use the building. There are also services including business marketing and strategy, branding, leadership training and development and website development.
“That’s why we like to tell people a tad is all you need because in other words when you’re an entrepreneur trying to go out and do something way bigger and in your point, when you’re looking to buy 5,000 square foot office space when technically a tad is literally all you need to get you started,” said Draper.
Draper also believes entrepreneurs need to be around other business owners and TAD makes that happen while promoting future economic growth.
He’s not the only one. Kenneth Harkness, a sound engineer who owns VLNZ LLC, a photography and videography company, told 10 News since he got an office in TAD a few months ago, his business has grown tremendously. Not only does he have the space now to work on upcoming projects, he also provides the service to the people who come to the TAD Space looking to get that type of work done.
He expects the space will spark more interest in entrepreneurship too.
“Nothing like this exists here yet I feel like and so we just filled like a void and I feel like it’s going to be a great thing for the entire community,” said Harkness.
For more information on TAD Space, click here.