*Chris Johnson, founder of Design Tec and Studio88* Courtesy of Studio88

When Chris Johnson launched Studio88 in the fall of 2017, she felt she was in a unique position to deliver the West Coast’s first designer coworking space. An industry veteran who has helmed her own firm, Design Tec, since 1978, Johnson was intimately familiar with the day-to-day needs of working designers. No surprise then that her creation, Studio 88—with its serene white cabinetry and expansive desktops—has been laid out with an interior designer’s needs in mind. Have a client meeting? There are conference rooms and a front desk assistant to order lunch. Need a CAD drawing or a color copier? No problem.

Although, maybe the biggest enticement isn’t a well-designed space, but rather a unique strategy to share business costs among tenants. It’s purchasing that Johnson is certain will be the key to Studio88’s success. Her own company (and its commercial counterpart, Design Tec Commercial) are “members” of Studio88—the purchasing power afforded by both firms comes with discounts as deep as 50 percent, which she leverages via Studio88’s Purchasing Services model. The gap between Design Tec’s discount and what they charge the designer was Johnson’s lightbulb moment.

“The services include an expediter that handles budget control and ordering and arranges logistics with their installation and transportation vendors. Purchasing Services also includes accounts payable that handles all vendor payments directly,” she explains. “We charge designers a percentage on top of the cost of goods, depending on the type and size of the project. They might be paying us 5 percent for that service.” With such sizable markdowns, it’s a good deal for a young designer—while remaining profitable for Johnson.