Today we’d like to introduce you to Mary Hames.
Hi Mary, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
For years, I worked from home while building my businesses, and as a working mother, I constantly struggled to find the right balance between professional space and family life. Working from a home office sounds convenient in theory, but in reality it can be isolating, distracting, and difficult to separate work from personal life — especially when your work involves important calls, meetings, or focused thinking.
At the same time, the commercial office options I found in West Michigan never felt like the right fit. Many were sterile and impersonal, far larger than small business owners actually needed, or required expensive long-term commitments that didn’t make sense for entrepreneurs, therapists, consultants, attorneys, remote workers, or people simply looking for a professional place to land.
That experience ultimately inspired me to create the space at 845 Park Avenue in Grand Haven.
The building itself is a former residential home located in Grand Haven’s transitional industrial district, and when I purchased it, it was far from move-in ready. The house needed extensive repairs and renovations, but honestly, that became one of the parts of the project I loved most. I’ve always enjoyed seeing potential in spaces that others may overlook, and it was incredibly rewarding to slowly bring the building back to life while preserving the warmth and character that made it feel different from a traditional office building.
As the renovations progressed, I started creating individual furnished offices designed to feel comfortable, inspiring, and genuinely enjoyable to work in. Each room has its own personality and style because I furnish them based on the question: “Would I want to work here all day?” I actually work out of each office myself while I’m designing and furnishing it, which gives me a chance to experience the lighting, layout, comfort, and overall energy firsthand before anyone else moves in.
One of my favorite parts of the process is that by the time a room is fully finished — and sometimes even before it’s complete — it’s often already rented. That has been incredibly validating because it tells me there are a lot of people looking for something more human and flexible than the typical office experience.
Today, 845 Park Avenue is home to therapists, executives, attorneys, consultants, remote workers, and entrepreneurs from many different industries. Some tenants stay for a day, while others stay for years. I wanted the space to be flexible enough to support people at different stages of life and business without overwhelming costs or commitments.
What I’ve loved most is watching a sense of community naturally develop inside the building. Even though everyone works independently, there’s a shared energy that you don’t get working alone from home or inside a massive corporate office. People exchange ideas, support each other’s businesses, celebrate milestones, and genuinely care about one another.
In many ways, 845 Park Avenue grew out of my own need for a better way to work — but it has become something much bigger than that. It’s been incredibly rewarding to create a space where people can feel both productive and comfortable, while also restoring a building that now has a whole new life and purpose in the community.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Is the road ever smooth? There were definitely some repairs that I didn’t expect, and rezoning for commercial took a bit longer than expected. Many times I had workers in the house while I was on a zoom and struggling with noise. Other times it was just tricky to coordinate deliveries while I was traveling.
Once I had a pallet of new herringbone LVP for the kitchen – I was planning to use the existing 100 year old pine floors that had been covered (now free) of ceramic tile, but after ripping up realized the floors didn’t extend into a small extension. After pivoting to the LVP, the flooring was delivered to the driveway 2 days early while I was 600 miles out of town and a rainstorm was coming in. Luckily a kind neighbor agreed to put a tarp over it until I came home.
As you know, we’re big fans of BioLogic Pharma Solutions. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
While 845 Park Avenue has become an incredibly meaningful project for me, it actually started as more of a passion side-hustle alongside my primary work as founder and CEO of BioLogic Pharma Solutions.
At BioLogic, we work with biotech companies, advocacy organizations, researchers, and industry partners to help accelerate rare disease drug development and patient-centered research. Much of our work focuses on bridging gaps between patients, clinicians, researchers, and industry in areas where resources are limited but the need is enormous. We support initiatives ranging from medical affairs strategy and patient engagement to natural history studies, scientific communications, congress support, and rare disease program development.
What makes that work especially meaningful to me is that many rare disease communities are built by families and advocates who have had to fight for visibility, research, and treatment options. Being able to contribute to programs that may ultimately improve diagnosis, research, or therapeutic development for patients is something I’m deeply proud of.
Interestingly, there’s a connection between my “real job” and the coworking space that people don’t always expect. Both are fundamentally about creating environments where people can do meaningful work more effectively. In one setting, that means helping organizations move rare disease programs forward. In the other, it means creating a physical space where entrepreneurs, therapists, attorneys, executives, and remote workers can feel comfortable, productive, and supported.
I think what sets 845 Park Avenue apart is that it was never designed as a high-volume commercial office operation. It was designed very personally and intentionally. Every office is fully furnished, flexible, and designed to feel warm, calm, and functional rather than corporate or generic. Because I personally renovated and furnished the spaces myself, each office has its own character and energy.
I’m probably most proud of the fact that people consistently tell me the building simply “feels good” to work in. That was always the goal. I wanted to create a place that removed some of the stress, isolation, and rigidity that often comes with traditional office environments or working from home.
At the end of the day, both BioLogic and 845 Park Avenue are rooted in the same idea: creating thoughtful spaces — whether physical or professional — that help people do important work with a little more support, flexibility, and humanity.
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
I think the demand for flexible coworking spaces is only going to continue growing over the next 5–10 years. More people are working remotely or operating independent businesses, and many are realizing that working entirely from home is not always realistic or sustainable long term. People want flexibility, but they also want professionalism, structure, and some separation between work and home life.
We’ve also seen growing demand from professionals who are temporarily in the area. Because we’re located along the lakeshore in Grand Haven, many of our short-term tenants are people visiting for vacation or seasonal stays who still need a polished, quiet place for important meetings, telehealth sessions, consulting work, or focused productivity during the workday. I think that blend of mobility and flexibility will become even more common moving forward.
At the same time, I believe people are becoming less interested in large, impersonal commercial office environments. There’s a growing appreciation for smaller, more thoughtfully designed spaces that feel comfortable, calm, and human. That’s especially true for therapists and wellness professionals, whose clients may already be walking into sessions carrying anxiety, stress, or personal discomfort. A warm, home-like environment can completely change how safe and relaxed someone feels.
Ultimately, I think the future of coworking is less about rows of desks and large corporate spaces, and more about creating intentional environments that support both productivity and wellbeing. People increasingly want spaces that feel personal, flexible, and welcoming — not just functional.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.845park.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mary-hames-phd-biologicpharmasolutions/
