Wall Street Suites opens to support women entrepreneurs in Jeffersonville
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A Jeffersonville native hopes her newly opened workspace in the city’s downtown will serve as a catalyst for growth for female entrepreneurs and business owners.
Deidra Collins cut the ribbon this week on Wall Street Suites, a business incubator designed to support women wherever they are in their entrepreneurial journey.
“It’s really a place for them to receive coaching, mentorship, networking opportunities, collaboration,” Collins said. “We really want this to be a launching pad for them, not their forever home, and then create space for the next woman that wants to start her own business.”
Collins told Inside INdiana Business that the space is part of her goal of giving back to the community she was raised in.
“I have a full time job in the oil and gas industry, and I’ve mentored and also been a mentee many times over,” she said. “Growing up here in Jeffersonville, I saw women that own businesses, but there wasn’t a lot of collaboration, visibility and networking. I was able to connect and have a lot of great resources in Louisville, Kentucky…but I really wanted to give back to my community and have that space here in southern Indiana.”
Wall Street Suites, located at 424 Wall Street in downtown Jeffersonville, offers seven individual suites available for lease at a price point below market rate in order to be accessible to entrepreneurs with limited capital.
The space also provides special discounts to first time business owners, veterans, not-for-profits, and women over 55.
“Our mission is to empower women in business by providing them with the tools, resources, and the community they need to succeed,” Collins said. “As I started to launch my own business, I realized that there was a lack of resources and just understanding for women as far as the financial piece. So I wanted to let them know my journey and that there are resources, that we can help them get started.”
Collins said she acquired the building and immediately received support from her neighbors as the space had been an eyesore in the city’s downtown.
“The building had sat empty for quite some time,” she said. “There’s two businesses that anchor us on the left and right, so they were so tremendously happy that we came in. They even collaborated and shared the expense as we pave the back driveway. They also helped us with some landscaping.”
Following the ribbon cutting on Wednesday, Collins said she has already received interest from women in the community wanting to check out the space.
Among the entrepreneurs that have reached out are a florist, a photographer, and one person wanting to sell bath and body products.
“It’s been a really a tremendous response,” she said. “I’m loving the diversity and the different entrepreneurial spaces that can potentially come to this space.”
Collins said she is also open to using Wall Street Suites as an open collaborative coworking space, especially for those who aren’t financially able to do a full lease. Looking long-term, Collins wants to fill the space and work to see those entrepreneurs move on to bigger locations, allowing for new entrepreneurs to come along.
“It’s open to the community. It really is. My vision is for it to be a community space. Yes, we’re focused on females, but we’re willing to collaborate with anybody doing anything.”