RVC Works Weathers Pandemic Woes To Foster Connection

ROCKVILLE CENTRE, NY – After riding a proverbial roller coaster the past two years due to fears surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, RVC Works now has a wide range of members working from the co-working space.

Sibling co-founders Amin and Tanin Tehrani were set to open their new facility on April 1, 2020 at a former storage loft above the floral shop at 41 B N. Village Ave., but just days before Gov. Cuomo forced all businesses deemed non-essential to close.

The owners have since had many ups and downs trying to navigate an essentially communal and collaborative business in the age of social distancing. They began without members during the early months of the pandemic and now have many diverse clients as mandates continue to ease.

There are solopreneurs working to get startups off the ground, college students studying for exams, contractors meeting with prospective customers, and even a psychologist who holds Skype sessions in one of two phone booth-like soundproof rooms.

"One of our main values is creating community within the community, and part of that is being in an open space where you're able to openly connect with others, and potentially collaborate on other projects, and meet people who are outside your normal work routine," Tanin said of the philosophy behind RVC Works.

The 1,300-square-foot studio space with hardwood floors has up to 30 seats and six long dark-wood tables, individual desks and a kitchenette, as well as framed poster art and plants to spice up the decor. While the doors are open to general members from 6 a.m. to 12 p.m., monthly members have 24/7 access to the facility.

Tanin and Amin don't just own the co-working space; they also work on their other business ventures there.

During the pandemic, Tanin started her own consulting and coaching business within the nonprofit world, a project she mostly worked on at RVC Works.

Amin has owned a digital advertising agency and worked remotely for 14 years. In more recent times, he would walk from his Rockville Centre home to a nearby co-working space. During the pandemic, he was often working from his new business, initially as the lone member.

"I found being at home I could never fully disconnect and decompress, and I was also looking for a space where I could work and connect with others," Amin said about his reasons for joining a co-working space.

As the brother-and-sister team considers their next steps, they want to initiate many of the projects they had planned before the pandemic-related shutdowns. These include hosting community events, allowing artists and other professionals to give workshops, find mentors to assist their solopreneurs, and invite teachers to hold their tutoring sessions at the facility.

"In a way, our plans for the past are our plans for the future," Amin said, "in that we never really got to launch them."