Inside Squarespace
Written by Valerie Michalecki
It has long been Allie’s dream to step inside the lofty Squarespace headquarters in New York City… well, at least since she founded Manage My Website back in 2009 (which she was obviously born to do).
The mission to gain access to the Squarespace HQ began a few years after that, when Allie was introduced to native New Yorker Valerie on the beaches of sunny Dahab, Egypt. Some may say it was serendipity, but Allie knew that this was her destiny. So she kept up appearances with Valerie, knowing that soon enough, Valerie’s cunning New York attitude and hip sophistication would one day be MMW’s ticket to the trendy offices of Squarespace.
Long before Valerie’s visit to New York, Allie recruited Valerie to learn a bit about Squarespace design, so she would at least sound like she knew what was talking about once she infiltrated the HQ.
Allie’s hard work primping and priming Valerie all started to pay off this summer, when Valerie announced that she was planning to visit her hometown after three long years of being away. Allie sprang into action.
Following her Squarespace talk at the D&AD Awards in London in early July, Allie caught up with her Squarespace Circle contact, Madeleine. Squarespace Circle is a partner program helping entrepreneurs and creatives launch their own web design practices and the Circle site was recently redesigned on their own all-in-one platform, making it even more empowering for the creative professional community.
Madeleine so graciously invited Valerie to visit the Squarespace HQ and represent UK-based Manage My Website.
Allie made sure to catch up with Valerie via FaceTime on several occasions leading up to the big day. Valerie started to show signs of reluctance and hesitation. She had never witnessed Allie being so keen on anything.
The Big Day
It had been a long time since Valerie navigated the mean streets of New York, so when she got lost on her way to 8 Clarkson Street in the West Village and had to ask for directions, she was already thrown for a loop. Two trains, a long walk, and a defeated yellow taxi ride later, Valerie had ARRIVED.
She struggled to open the door which, to her embarrassment, is purposefully locked. Some unassuming Squarespace employees returning from a coffee break helped her in the door. They were dressed so cool, so chic, sooo New York. Valerie second-guessed her outfit, had she lost her cool by being away for so long?
After checking in electronically via an iPad, and awarded a sticker with her name on it, Valerie waited patiently and nervously in the long, high-ceilinged, modern, and industrial lobby. MMW was IN.
After just a few moments, Madeleine and Tony from the Squarespace Circle Team greeted Valerie in the lobby. Valerie was instantly relieved by their down-to-earth and relaxed approach. They whisked Valerie through the lobby and up to the tenth floor, the first of four levels that Squarespace currently occupies at 8 Clarkson Street.
As Madeleine and Tony dove in and described everything from the history and architecture of the space and building, to the productive, yet comfortable working environment that Squarespace provides, to the decadent daily lunches catered for the staff, Valerie was just in awe of her surroundings. The building physically felt like it had been standing there so sturdily since long before the days of the Internet and computers.
Originally built in 1926, the Maltz Building was a factory producing printed materials during the mid-20th century, and the markings on the original floors clearly show evidence of where massive machinery used to churn out work. One could close their eyes and see, smell, and hear what it felt like to be in that space 100 years ago.
Madeleine pointed out something that should have been obvious, but for some reason was surprising. Every floor of the Squarespace HQ has an open floor plan, every conference and meeting space is behind glass walls, and there are NO private offices. That’s right, not even for the CEO. It was like a pseudo-dreamscape workspace, where everyone is on a level playing field.
Outside of their main conference room, Valerie spotted a motorcycle. Much to Allie’s jealousy, it wasn’t just any motorcycle, but it was the motorcycle that Keanu Reeves used in his Squarespace Superbowl commercial from early 2018.
As if Valerie would be able to handle any more excitement, Madeleine and Tony led her to the roof. Outfitted with a lawn, shaded areas, and plenty of seating to gather, create, work, or to just take a break, the views from the roof could inspire and recharge even the laziest minds.
Valerie had the absolute pleasure of meeting several other members of the Circle team, with whom she enjoyed lunch and lots of laughs with. The big takeaway here was: everyone was so happy. Squarespace must be doing something right.
But the best part? DOGS. Yes, the Squarespace HQ is a dog-friendly office space, where employees are encouraged to bring their furry friends to work with them. Unfortunately, Valerie was unable to snap even a single photo of any of the various pups she met along the way as she was too busy petting them. Can’t take that girl anywhere.
Mission Accomplished
Allie was pleased with all of the insider information she was able to collect from Valerie’s visit to Squarespace. She plans to continue grooming Valerie for further investigative assignments.
Native New Yorker Valerie Michalecki is an unashamed social media addict who always keeps her finger firmly on the pulse of what's hot on the internet.
When she's not checking her timelines, she's hard at work creating (hopefully) viral social media/web content, riding unicorns and drinking G&Ts on the beach in her second home on Egypt's South Sinai peninsula.