Before Hannah Schmitt first opened the doors to The Treasury on Nov. 1, 2018, she admits she was jaded. Whether it was from her own experiences or tales from others, she was wary of going into a business that catered specifically to women.  But in the year that the co-working space has been open in downtown Oklahoma City, owning and running The Treasury has taught Schmitt one very important lesson. 

“The biggest lesson that I am taking away from this first year is that people are good. I came into this a little bit jaded,” Schmitt said. “But the past year, watching the way women have helped other women in this space has been such a learning opportunity for somebody who witnessed that women can be catty and selfish and only out for themselves. Opening this space has really taught me that women really are nice to each other; women do just want to help each other.”

 The Treasury (10 North Lee) is not like the co-working spaces that have been popping up around Oklahoma. Co-owners Hannah and Brian Schmitt wanted it to be an oasis for women to be able to come together and learn, support and build up in an environment that they may not be able to find in a normal office setting.  In other words, a community. “We are a co-working space for women. We provide women with resources and relationships for them to succeed at home and at work,” Schmitt said. “They are going to be surrounded by women who help them grow their business, who hire them, answer questions for them, mentor them. We are unique in that our space is more about the programs and events that we have here than the physical space. The space is great, but you could find that somewhere else. You could rent an office if you want, but it’s not going to come with this built-in support system of women who want you to succeed at what you’re doing.”

The Treasury currently has eight members who pay $350 per month. “That’s a lot to ask somebody,” Schmitt said. “Our members who have bought in have found the connections they make at the Treasury to more than make up that rental fee. But that is not a tangible thing you can show somebody. They are going out on a limb to believe my business is going to grow to make up this money.”

 The idea to tailor The Treasury toward women was not one that many people jumped on board with at first. Landlords and real estate developers wanted Schmitt to make it for women and men. But that was not what she wanted. “I think men and women have very different challenges at work,” Schmitt said. “Men have their own challenges. Women, especially women in Oklahoma City, the members who are here and the people who come through for our programs and events, a lot of their problems are specific to being female.”  However, when Schmitt met with Eric Fleske of Fleske Holding Company, he was so impressed with the concept that he offered to lease out the entire block to female-owned businesses. “I didn’t think he would really do it, because he is a developer and at the end of the day he has to make money,” Schmitt said. “But sure enough, he leased out to Sweet Yield Studio, Salt & Water Co., and The Wild Mother, all female-owned businesses. So he just really caught on to what we’re trying to achieve and has really helped female entrepreneurs here on Film Row.”

 However, Fleske said it was his wife and partner, Nova, who was the impetus behind filling the block with female entrepreneurs. 

 Schmitt wants the Treasury members to get the most out of their community as possible. But she also wants other women to come and take part in the events and programs the Treasury hosts throughout the month. That is the way their community will be its most effective. 

 “When they can do that in a safe environment that’s only female, there is just something different,” Schmitt said. “The feedback from members has been tremendous. The relationships they find are so different from any other environment. There is something really special about having another woman, maybe more or even less experienced than you, just come and give their perspective. It’s been very helpful to our members.”

photos: Emily Hart