HYDERABAD: Co-working spaces are passe. It’s co-creative spaces now, in the city. To the list of Lamakaan in Banjara Hills, Phoenix Arena in Gachibowli, Saptaparni at Banjara Hills and Sacred Space in Secunderabad, joins a space called Aaromale. A startup venture by four Hyderabadis – Anvesh, Siddhanth, Akshay and Santosh conceived the idea to open this creative space late last year. While one is a law student, another is a construction specialist and others are ad film guys.
“Creative spaces need a different vibe which sparks off innovation and new thought process. I would say a place with ample space, away from the crowds, lots of greenery, chirping of birds, an informal place to chat… We were looking out for a place with a heritage place and luckily found this space through some common friends. It fitted our requirement and we set it this way,” says Anvesh as he walks and shows around the two-level space spread across 1,000 sq yards in Film Nagar.
Over 50 trees surround the space, giving it a Munnar coffee estate feel. “We did not really position it that way but our place is quite popular for photoshoots. Many young Hyderabadis drop by for an event or a workshop and then we find our Instagram feed with over 40 tags from the visitors. We are happy to be this pretty place,” he adds with a smile.
Incidentally, it costs to get a professional photo-shoot though, he adds. The world Aaromale stands for ‘the beloved’ and the team feels it is a space to do what you want to do.Currently, the space houses two designer stores, a handmade ceramic planters store, an organic store, an office space, a styling space and a traditional cookware store. Their event list has featured a Sufi night, a poetry evening, a calligraphy workshop, climate change documentary show, an art therapy session etc. He says it took them three months of renovation including ordering handmade Athangudi Pondicherry tiles for an earthy feel.
“In the cafe too, we have a lot of novel architecture as we believe in giving everything a creative touch. It is made of recycled wood,” says Anvesh, the spokesperson of the team. The startup team says it is the studio with 100 capacity that is their cash cow, but they hope to let more people know about their space before they get aggressive with marketing.
The teams also want to encourage a lot of startups by providing them with some guidance and logistical support when needed when they are not letting it out for professionals. “Co-creative space with a co-working mission,” the team adds.
[“source=newindianexpress”]