Creative Coworkers

A typical day at the office is anything but at Creative Coworkers, a non-profit coworking space established in May 2015 and one of nearly 25 coworking spaces in B.C. The communal and versatile work environment is geared to integrate creative freelance professionals, organizations and non-profits in Vancouver's Railtown neighbourhood who desire the dynamics of community building and a shared work space with first-rate amenities.

In 2004, around the same time Facebook was finding its legs, Denise Brennan, co-owner and co-founder of Creative Coworkers, wrote a thesis on social networking and how to develop community and create dynamics that allow relationships to build for the betterment of the people involved. Social media had yet to evolve, so she put that idea on the back burner and went on to freelance in venue management, among other areas. Over time, Denise worked on developing a variety of projects, mostly about space, revisiting her passion about community building.

She took on her first coworking project when asked to modify the office space for a company who changed their business model; they downsized in staff but wanted to retain the space. "Their primary objective was to reduce their monthly costs," says Denise, "but for me it became clear I was most interested in the community building aspect."