Coworking: 6 spaces to try in the Quartier des Spectacles

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With fall around the corner, people are getting busy again. Have those restful summer days stoked your creativity? Better make the most of it!

Are you a lonely freelancer or are you looking for the perfect room for a brainstorming session with colleagues and clients? Or do you just need a place to help you get over your writer’s block?

In the heart of the city, close to the business district and three universities, the Quartier des Spectacles has plenty of interesting options for different professional needs.

Here are six coworking spaces to check out this fall.

Anticafé

294 Sainte-Catherine St. W.
Monday to Sunday, 9 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Forget the guilt of nursing a latte for hours while you work in a café. Anticafé is a café with a difference, an international concept aimed at being just as welcoming as home. For $3/hour or $12/day, you can have all the coffee, tea and cookies you want. You can even bring your own lunch. On entering, you’re invited to remove your shoes and make yourself at home. And there’s an upstairs loft you can rent for private events or meetings.

Grande Bibliothèque

475 De Maisonneuve Blvd. E.
Tuesday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The Grande Bibliothèque is a design masterpiece and an ultra-popular spot that attracts more than 2.3 million visitors every year. They come to pass the time, work or read. There are four group workrooms (reservations required) and two no-reservations rooms that hold up to 4 people. For solo work, 10 carrels are available when not reserved by researchers.

Café Parvis

433 Mayor Street
Variable hours

A hidden downtown oasis, Le Parvis charms with its beautiful décor – and that goes for its workspaces, too. There are several options, including meeting rooms, lounges, long-term office space and common areas. And of course the café’s delicious food is always available!

LA SERRE – arts vivants

1182 St-Laurent Blvd.
Third floor of the Monument-National
Tuesday to Friday, noon to 5 p.m.

Located in the superb 19th-century Monument-National, La Serre is an incubator boasting a sunny, warm space for up-and-coming artists working in the living arts, who get free access to help them advance their careers. Includes free Wi-Fi, coffee and low-cost printing.

GamePlay Space/L’Espace ludique

1435 St-Alexandre St., Suite 140
Variable hours

A unique Montreal spot for the gaming community – on any given day there’s an incredible amount of innovation per square foot. Plenty of young game developers and studios have set up shop here whether permanently, on a flexible basis or occasionally. The GamePlay Space is based on the idea of strength in numbers: the goal is to bring all kinds of talent together to form a dynamic, supportive community.

KIN Coworking

397A Sainte-Catherine St. W., Suite 202
Variable hours

A newcomer to the neighbourhood, KIN is based on the idea of kinship. Tired of being an only child? Join a network of inventive people who share a space and motivate each other. With its streamlined, modern urban look, the space offers a variety of options, including shared offices, meeting-room rentals and post-office boxes. The space can also be rented for private events.