According to Wes Garnett, Delaware is the only mid-atlantic state that does not have a coworking space.

“It’s not just because no one has started it,” he says, “but because no one has even heard of coworking.”

Much like many Philadelphians, Garnett sees a northern neighbor taking technology talent from his city when there are plenty of reasons to stay home. Though Delaware is well-known as a tax shelter for large corporations, the state hasn’t exactly been rolling out the red carpet for entrepreneurs, something Garnett and his partners hope to change through coIN Loft.

“In 2007, Delaware was ranked 50 out of 50 for attracting entrepreneurs. The next year we jumped to 35,” he says. “Either way we suck.”

The life-long Delaware resident, along with business partners Pedro Moore and Steve Roettger, is leading the charge to create coIN Loft, a coworking space in Wilmington, Delaware.  The trio is anticipating opening in March and the space will have 17 desks available in three tiered memberships: basic (a few times per month), part-time (two to three days per week) and full-time. Members of coIN Loft will also be eligible to participate in crowdsourced client projects.

The origins of coIN Loft – short for “community innovation” – stemmed from a October article in Entrepreneur Magazine citing coworking as an upcoming trend in the startup world.  Both Roettger and Garnett saw the space as a chance to change Delaware’s lack of an entrepreneurial mindset as well as a way to attract clients to Verge, their Wilmington-based company that offers consulting services to early-stage startup companies.

The business partners began immediately looking for a space. Something that, as any of the Indy Hall founders would tell you, should come only after a community is established, something Garnett acknowledges.

The floor plan for coIN Loft. (click to enlarge).

“We did everything backwards, it’s in our nature to be running really fast to the things we want to do,” he says.

In researching a space, the group also came across a real estate developer shopping around a coworking space that named “Verge Coworking,” confusing given coIN’s consulting gig.

“It’s like in school when you wanted to talk to a girl you thought was hot and she turned out to be your best friend’s girlfriend,” says Garnett. “It was like the Twilight Zone.”

That coworking space eventually fell through, but that won’t stop coIN Loft’s urgency. The group just signed a year lease, and the group, using roughly $25,000 of outside investment and $25,000 of their own funds, is beginning to renovate the space as weather allows.

“In Delaware things just take forever,” he says of coIN Loft’s urgency. “People really want to see things change but most people just sit on sidelines.”

coIN Loft’s organizers say it has a handful of verbal commitments for full-time members and has seen interest in the Wilmington community as a next step for the city finding its identity. The community, which has already held two Ignite events, even created an entire neighborhood dedicated to housing creative professionals.

“If we could build the reputation of coIN up,” he says, “it will make people say: ‘These guys [in Wilmington] are just as talented as anyone else.”

Every Monday, Technically Not Tech will feature people, projects, and businesses that are involved with Philly’s tech scene, but aren’t necessarily technology focused. See others here.

Full Disclosure: Independents Hall co-founder Alex Hillman is a current sponsor of Technically Philly.

Wilmington, much like Philadelphia earlier in the decade, has been experiencing a renaissance in its creative industries. Creatives in the city have recently founded the Lower Market (LoMa) design district and are set to host their very own Ignite event on July 22 (register here) in a city more known for providing a tax friendly location for banks to headquarter.

“We all felt the need for this to happen,” said organizer Lee Mikles, “so we all just decided to do it ourselves.”

If you have been to one of the three Ignite Philly events you likely know the deal. Each speaker gets five minutes (20 slides at 15 seconds each) to speak on whatever topic they wish, the idea being that viewers get a sampling of all of the great things that are happening locally.

“I hope Ignite gives the creatives here a place to congregate and share ideas,” said Mikles.

Mikles is the co-founder of Wilmington-based digital marketing firm The Archer Group. The business began in his basement, and the company has stubbornly refused to leave their hometown, growing The Archer Group to a thriving business of 35 employees.

Mikles and others in the industry have also undertaken the creation of an entire design district in an effort to build a new community in Wilmington, culminating in the Ignite event.

While most of the speakers have some sort of Wilmington connection, there were no strict guidelines for choosing presenters.

“I was looking for people I’ve heard stories of, or I had heard them speak,” he said adding that his litmus test for speakers was whether or not he would want to have a beer with them.

Speakers set to present include someone who Mikles describes as the David Hasselhoff of the art world (he’s big in Europe), a home brewmaster and one of the premier developers of the multitouch technology made famous with CNN’s election coverage.

Mikles said he has no idea what to expect, but he does hope that the creatives of Philadelphia are able to make the trip south on the R2.

“It’s an easy jaunt down. Come down to Wilmington and see where your credit card statements go,” he said.

BALTIMORE CONNECTION

Despite being geographically closer to Philadelphia, the organizers of Ignite Wilmington have been in closer contact with those responsible for Ignite Baltimore.

“I didn’t want to bother them,” Mikles said of his Philly counterparts. “I think they’ve done a great job and I’m looking forward to doing a similar event here.”

He added that when he was begining to plan Ignite WIlmington, Ignite Philly 3 was a few weeks away from taking place. Ignite Baltimore’s third event will be on Thursday.