Co-Living Startup Ollie Draws Aging Baby Boomers

By Mary Kate Nelson | Senior Housing News

It’s well known that most baby boomers are still several years away from moving into traditional senior housing communities—but the path boomers will take prior to moving in may have a few unexpected twists and turns. One micro-housing platform created with millennials in mind is seeing boomers as a core part of its consumer base, demonstrating that this generation might already be redefining what “senior housing” means.

New York City-based Ollie offers fully furnished “micro-apartments,” with WiFi and cable television included in the rent. Ollie also provides renters with “hotel-style” amenities, such as weekly housekeeping services, including fresh towels, linens and regular replenishment of bath products, like toilet paper, shampoo and hair conditioner.

The startup believed that this offering would be attractive to a younger demographic, but didn’t count on what’s happening with the aging population—trends such as the growing desire for communal living in rental properties, the rejection of typical “senior housing” offerings, and the allure of urban locales.

“Who was showing up at the building—it blew our thesis wide open,” Christopher Bledsoe, co-founder and CEO of Ollie, told Senior Housing News.