68 The Queens Courier • buzz • AUGUST 25, 2016 for breaking news visit www.qns.com buzz Soak up live jazz and city views at a rooftop fundraiser at Flushing House Forest Hills will soon be the home to a brand-new co-working space By Anthony Giudice [email protected]/@A_GiudiceReport Two Queens natives are bringing a much-needed co-working space to Forest Hills. Benny Tan and Tiffany Choi are the masterminds behind The Austin Space, the soon-to-be co-working space for the independent workers of central Queens. They wanted to create a place for technologists, creative freelancers, remote and independent workers, and entrepreneurs to be able to work without having to travel into other parts of Queens, Brooklyn or Manhattan. Tan works as a software engineer and is able to work remotely. He has spent hours working from a local coffee shop or a Starbucks many times. He often found it to be loud and noisy, distracting him from his work. He also noticed so many other people in the area where doing the same thing, working on their laptops in a crowded, noisy coffee shop. Fed up with trying to complete his work in such unproductive conditions, Tan, with the help of Choi, started looking for local co-working spaces. “We searched for co-working spaces in Queens,” Tan said. “However, we only found corporate offices or places that were too far out, like Long Island City, Manhattan or Brooklyn. This is when it clicked, we can open a co-working space here in central Queens. We chose Forest Hills because of the location and community, and that Tiffany is familiar with the area as she was born, raised, and lives in Forest Hills.” By creating a co-working space in Forest Hills, the duo hopes to bring innovative and creative workers and jobs to the neighborhood. “For the past two decades, we feel like the focus has always been on Manhattan or Brooklyn, but we know that Forest Hills, Queens, The Austin Space is a co-working space opening soon in Forest Hills. can be the next place for innovation and creativity,” Tan said. “We have gotten such a positive response online about our co-working space — everyone believes that this space is something that Forest Hills needs. We realized that there are so many freelancers, contractors and independent business owners who live in the area and are in a desperate need for a workspace.” The Austin Space is located on the second floor of 108-14 72nd Ave. and will have a wide range of amenities for its members, including highspeed internet connection, complimentary water, tea and coffee, an inclusive conference room, whiteboards, printer, kitchen, refrigerator, microwave, an outdoor patio, lounge area and more. “In central Queens, there is nothing like this that breeds creativity and innovation. There is no community Photo courtesy Benny Tan hub for technologists, creatives and entrepreneurs in this area where individuals can collaborate and work together,” Tan said. “This alone is the reason why we want to bring this space to Queens. It is so much more than a space — it is a community. We believe that The Austin Space can grow the local businesses in our community.” The pair are receiving the keys on Sept. 1 and will spend that entire month renovating and moving into the space. They hope to officially open The Austin Space in early October and are allowing people to join a mailing list to get updates on the opening and other important information. Tan and Choi have also created a Kickstarter campaign to help cover a portion of the expenses of The Austin Space, and backers can receive discounted membership rates. Photo provided by Flushing House Oh La La! singer Marie Michèle at the microphone. By Suzanne Monteverdi [email protected]/@smont76 Take in glittering city views and enjoy live jazz on the rooftop of the Flushing House on Friday, Sept. 9. The “Jazz Up In The Sky” fundraiser will feature three uniquely talented jazz groups. Opening act Oh La La! features French singer Marie Michèle and some of the top jazz musicians from New York City and New England. The group plays soft acoustic jazz, 1930s and ’40s swing, and soul and blues of the 1950s and ’60s, but will happily fulfill any song requests. Headlining, Grammy Award-winning act The Hernan Romero Group will feature music inspired by flamencogypsy, Middle Eastern and Mediterranean folk music blended with jazz and Latin rhythms. Karikatura, a New York-based roots pop band, will close the event. Featuring Brooklyn-bred metal guitarist Dima Kay, the group has traveled the world playing a unique blend of globally diverse genres. In addition to world-class musical performances, the event will feature a gourmet dinner and an art show and sale. The festival will take place from 7 to 11 p.m. on the rooftop of the Flushing House located at 38-20 Bowne St., Flushing. Tickets can be purchased online at JazzUpInTheSky.com or by contacting Michael Sutcliffe at 347-532-3014 or [email protected]. A single ticket is $100; couples pay $150. The charge is tax-deductible. All proceeds from the event will go toward funding Flushing House: a not-for-profit independent living retirement home which houses more than 300 older adults.
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