Can Queens become the new hotspot for startups? NY1's Tanya Klich toured a new, collaborative workspace with open doors -- and vacant office desks -- in Astoria.

Queens native Artie Minson says it’s time for the startup revolution to expand beyond Manhattan, Brooklyn and even Long Island City. 

“At WeWork, we like to say we like to escape to where the puck is going not where it's been," said Minson who is the president and COO at WeWork. "And we think that Astoria is only going to grow as the creativity center.”

WeWork runs 80 co-working sites – or shared office space – in trendy areas across the globe, like San Francisco and SoHo. On Thursday, WeWork held the grand opening of its first Queens office at a building overlooking the Beer Garden at Studio Square.

Minson expects all 700 desks to be occupied by entrepreneurs and innovators within six months. 

"I would expect by the time the Beer Garden is humming in the summer that it will be pretty filled," he said.  

Meanwhile, local leaders say the site is good news for new and long-standing businesses in the area. One reason: membership at WeWork costs up to $650 a month, quite a bit less than renting traditional office space.

"If you look at some of the needs of startups in general, besides salary payroll, one of the biggest expenses can be rent,” said Thomas Grech, Executive Director of the Queens Chamber of Commerce.

“Everybody who works at 'We' space will go and visit and patron the restaurants, the small businesses all around here. It's added value,” said Queens Assemblywoman Aravella Simotas.

The WeWork president says members are paying for more than just office space. They also get the opportunity to network and brush shoulders with other startups at shared spaces like a kitchen and open lounge.

"At any given month, about half of our businesses do business with one another," Minson said.

"I usually work from my office at home but wanted to separate work from home and also be in a community where I could network with other entrepreneurs," said Adriana Quaranto, a WeWork member and founder of fashion startup AMCONYC.

And while one tech entrepreneur says booking meetings outside of Manhattan can be tough, the Flushing resident says the move is worth it in the long run. 

"My commute is like 20 minutes instead of like 45 minutes, so it's great," said Venkat Rao, a tech entrepreneur. 

Minson says so far, roughly 200 desks at WeWork Studio Square are occupied, and a second location in Queens is possible in the future.​