/
1x
Advertisement
Proudly Canadian, obsessively Toronto. Subscribe to Toronto Life!
Style

Inside Northspace, a co-working office with free popcorn, gaming competitions and single malt on offer

By Caroline Aksich| Photography by Derek Shapton
Copy link

Where: 21 Kodiak Cres. How big: 5,000 square feet How much: Membership ranges from $35 to $1,250 a month Notable tenants: Enthusiast Gaming, a social media platform exclusively for gamers Perks: Free parking and coordinators for hire

When Meir Bulua’s marketing start-up, Leverage.IT, outgrew its tiny Forest Hill HQ, he wanted to upgrade but didn’t have a lot of cash. Bulua partnered with Aaron Zahler, owner of a growing construction company, who was also hunting for a new office. They scored a 5,000-square-foot spot (a former Hugo Boss showroom), and decided to convert it into a co-working space—which would also serve as another source of income. Although Zahler is a builder, he lacked design skills, so he recruited architect Noam Hazan to rejig the space from five traditional offices to 12 modern spaces (Hazan signed on soon after as a co-owner). The revamped workspace is a cross between a techie start-up and a DIY-furnished loft. There’s free popcorn on Thursdays and occasional gaming competitions. And the tenants get along great: according to Bulua, more than $300,000 in income has been generated as a result of tenants doing business with each other this year alone.

The building’s exterior is hyper-modern (and a bit severe):

Inside Northspace, a co-working office with free popcorn, gaming competitions and single malt on offer

Inside is a mix of communal space, private offices and enclosed meeting rooms:

Inside Northspace, a co-working office with free popcorn, gaming competitions and single malt on offer

Tenants are invited to enjoy some single malt when they book this particular private space. The shelves are made from vintage wine boxes:

Advertisement
Inside Northspace, a co-working office with free popcorn, gaming competitions and single malt on offer
Tenants are invited to enjoy some single malt when they book this private space. The shelves are made from vintage wine boxes

Motivational phrases painted on the stairs help keep workers’ spirits up:

Inside Northspace, a co-working office with free popcorn, gaming competitions and single malt on offer

The furniture is a hodgepodge of functional pieces from IKEA and stuff left behind by Hugo Boss:

Inside Northspace, a co-working office with free popcorn, gaming competitions and single malt on offer
The furniture is a hodgepodge of functional pieces from IKEA and stuff left behind by Hugo Boss

The tuck shop uses the honour system: tenants write down what they’ve taken, and the costs is added to their monthly bill:

Inside Northspace, a co-working office with free popcorn, gaming competitions and single malt on offer
The tuck shop uses the honour system: tenants write down what they’ve taken, and the costs is added to their monthly bill

NEVER MISS A TORONTO LIFE STORY

Sign up for This City, our free newsletter about everything that matters right now in Toronto politics, sports, business, culture, society and more.

By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy.
You may unsubscribe at any time.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Caroline Aksich, a National Magazine Award recipient, is an ex-Montrealer who writes about Toronto’s ever-evolving food scene, real estate and culture for Toronto Life, Fodor’s, Designlines, Canadian Business, Glory Media and Post City. Her work ranges from features on octopus-hunting in the Adriatic to celebrity profiles.

Advertisement
Advertisement

More Great Spaces

Inside an east-end funhouse overflowing with kooky souvenirs

Inside an east-end funhouse overflowing with kooky souvenirs

Inside the Latest Issue

Inside the Latest Issue

The April issue of Toronto Life features the anatomy of a Bay Street fiasco at RBC. Plus, our obsessive coverage of everything that matters now in the city.