Intimate and immersive, a newly-opened spot in The Village looks to promote community and connections.
Bodhe, a new coworking space at 1295 Prospect St., is the passion project for La Jolla resident Sam Score, created to foster the kind of relationships she was missing upon moving here in 2021.
Pronounced “bode,” as in “humble abode,” Bodhe, also run by head of operations Kristin Metzger, offers its members a small, intimate lounge-meets-workspace limited to seven people, its size purposely minimized to maximize connections.
Members can access Bodhe as a coworking space, a studio for creative work or a venue to activate for private events.
Head of operations, Kristin Metzger (left) and owner Sam Score (right).
“We want you to feel like you’re going … to meet someone new, get inspired by what they’re doing,” Score said.
Score moved to La Jolla from New York City, intended to only be here a couple of months but finding herself falling in love with the West Coast.
“I just moved my entire life,” Score said, a shift that came during the COVID-19 pandemic and “without knowing anybody.”
Along with a background in media planning and sales and a full-time, remote job working in tech sales, Score has “always had quite an entrepreneurial spirit and a little bit more of a creative interest” that lay dormant in her corporate work, she said.
Score tapped into her innovative side after moving to La Jolla, taking up content creation on Tiktok that also helped her build a community when she knew no one locally.
“I started to notice that a lot of people were in very similar [situations], moving to San Diego from major cities, because we’re all working remotely now, and we can do that,” she said.
Looking to help herself and others connect further, Score launched The SD Network in 2022, a site “all about helping people … meet each other and make friends,” she said, through hosting various social events.
The SD Network has helped thousands of women meet roommates, friend groups, and more, Score said.
The growth of The SD Network led Score to notice a “profound three-way value exchange [among] members, the businesses that we were promoting … and the word of mouth that we were generating for them,” she said, which inspired her to open Bodhe in April 2024.
“I’ve worked remotely for the past four years,” Score said, “and I was having a really hard time feeling productive working from my bedroom every single day, and similarly, I couldn’t be productive working from a coffee shop every single day,” given the noise, lack of electrical outlets and time limits.
The solution? Bodhe, for people “who need a place to go be productive and be inspired outside of their home, but they also don’t want a traditional coworking space,” Score said.
“We don’t want something that feels like we’re in an office, but we need something that’s separate from our own home so we can really check in and be productive.”
Members also have access to the Bodhe Benefits Program, with discounts to brand partners and businesses in San Diego, such as the first cocktail free at The Whaling Bar on Wednesdays.
Score’s vision seems to be meeting a local need, even in its infancy: Bodhe is at its membership capacity currently, with a waiting list. She hopes to expand and open additional spots soon.
“It’s been quite a ride,” Score said.
