With more and more people choosing to work outside of traditional offices, savvy entrepreneurs have met the demand with innovative coworking spaces and work-oriented cafés across the city.
These trendy workspaces guarantee fast Wi-Fi and bonuses like free coffee and networking events.
But with so many locations to choose from, it can be difficult to find the ideal place to flip open your laptop or scribble away in your notebook (for the old-schoolers among us).
So, here’s a guide to help you distinguish between some of the city’s many options.
Coworking spaces
• For people who want a desk for at least a month, an office-like atmosphere and have enough income to pay for a monthly membership.
Those familiar with Montreal coworking spaces probably know about big players like WeWork downtown or La Gare in the Plateau. These large-capacity shared offices provide hot desks, private rooms for meetings, free coffee (and beer at WeWork) as well as a full calendar of events.
But if these “traditional” coworking spaces have you priced out (they usually cost upward of $350 a month) or they’re just not the atmosphere you’re looking for, there are alternatives.
One option is Lori Hub in St-Henri, which is the only coworking space dedicated to helping female entrepreneurs succeed (men are invited to work there, but only if they are in business with a female entrepreneur).
“There’s an issue here in Quebec: we don’t have enough female entrepreneurs,” said Arielle Beaudin, the co-founder of Lori, which stands for Ladies of Real Influence.
The non-profit is a slightly smaller (20 desks) and slightly cheaper option ($230 a month for a desk) than some of the city’s other coworking spaces.
“Our philosophy was, well, hey, we’ll offer reduced working space, so that money can be better put to your marketing campaign or to your website,” Beaudin said.
Coworking cooperatives
• For people who want to work for free or like the idea of being part of a co-op. They’re not ideal for those seeking a business-like atmosphere.
Gaelle Généreux, co-founder of the Temps Libre co-operative in the Mile End, never liked the idea that working outside your living room should cost money.
“If you want to find a place to work or to be, most of the time you need to be in a café and drink coffee, and you need to pay $2, $3, $4 for a latte. And when you’re done, you need to go and pay again,” she said. “You’re always a consumer. We were looking for a place where you can be just a citizen.”
Temps Libre, which opened last October, does the unthinkable — it lets you work in an open space and get free coffee (sometimes popcorn) without paying a dime.
Funding for the co-op comes from an attached coworking space ($225 per month), help from Concordia University and a one-time fee that allows members to participate in an annual general assembly.
“We created the place, but we don’t want to be the ones who decide what will happen there,” Généreux said. “We really encourage people to come, give ideas and be part of their life there.”
Coworking hybrids
• For people who like the café vibe, but also want to get work done. Or those who want a coworking space that doesn’t feel like a traditional office. They should be avoided if café white noise is an issue.
Last spring, the 89-year-old Royal Bank Building in Old Montreal was transformed into a bustling café and coworking space.
“The idea felt like a fun and experimental way to take what was an underutilized space that was also a heritage location in the city, (make it) as publicly facing as possible and be a successful business,” said Sophie Silkes, Crew Collective’s head of partnerships and events.
The joint venture between Montreal’s Crew and Unsplash is both for those who want to grab a coffee and a hummus plate from time to time, as well as those who want their own desk (open 24/7 for at least $450 per month).
“This isn’t the kind of space that you walk into that you’re like, ‘I get it,’ ” Silkes said. “You’re like, ‘What’s going on here?’ ”
Alternative cafés
• For people who like working in cafés and don’t want to feel pressured to leave. They’re also good for frequent travellers or those who only need a workspace on occasion.
Sick of receiving the stink-eye after staying for hours at a hip café? Several cafés across the city have taken advantage of the rise in popularity of remote work and offer a space for people who don’t want to commit to a monthly membership.
One example is Café Perko in Villeray, which was made with workers and students in mind. It provides free access to a printer and meeting room, as long as you buy something.
Another strategy is to charge café users by the hour. GAB in the Mile End costs $3 per hour ($12 per day) for access to the space, “kickass Internet,” a “cool vibe” and no pressure.
“For some reason, some of us — not all of us — really like to work in cafés and are productive there,” co-founder Gabriel Dancause said.
He got the idea for GAB after struggling to find good working cafés as a freelance developer.
“We’re filling a hole because when you’re alone in your company, you still need the relationships and motivation for putting your pants on in the morning.“
Booking app
• For people who are looking for a quiet place to work with colleagues or clients for a short amount of time. There is also the option of trying various locations.
Let’s say you’re a therapist and want to book a quiet room for an hour-long consultation. Neither a loud café nor a coworking space with a monthly membership is going to cut it. You need a Breather.
With Breather – a Montreal-based startup that has secured $55 million in investment and has the likes of Facebook, Airbnb and Uber – you’re not getting a coworking space. Rather, you get an easy-to-use platform to book a room for your meeting.
Simply reserve through the app, punch in your unique passcode when you arrive, and after you finish, a cleaner will show up to prep the room for the next client.
Breather co-founder and New York Times bestselling author Julien Smith said he thought of the idea while on the road to promote his books.
“Basically, I was stuck between Starbucks and my hotel. I realized that there wasn’t a way to access a space to be productive that wasn’t a hotel,” he said.
Breather has no monthly commitment and provides only private rooms, which, if you ask Smith, is a relief.
“It’s always a room. As a consequence, there are four walls – there is silence.”