The Future of Coworking Is About More Than Where We Work (Hey, We’re in the Chicago Tribune!)

This weekend, the Chicago Tribune published a story about the changing face of coworking in Chicago—and right there, alongside some of our favorite Chicago businesses and community builders, was Le Village. The story looks at something we've believed for a long time: people aren't just looking for a desk outside their house. They're looking for places where work can fit into the rest of their lives.

For some Chicagoans, that's climbing at First Ascent between meetings. For others, it's bringing their dog to Pup Social, finding community at Guild Row, or building wellness into the workday at BIÂN. And at Le Village, it's being able to build your career or business while your children play and learn just steps away.

What I especially loved about seeing all of these businesses together is how very Midwest the story felt. These aren't anonymous office buildings. They're businesses created by people who live here, raise their families here and build spaces around the communities they're actually part of.

And in perhaps the most Chicago-neighborhood moment of this whole story, First Ascent co-founder Dan Bartz and I immediately texted each other when we realized we were both being featured. Our kids go to school and dance together, and his eldest helps us with after school care for Vivie. Turns out, the people building Chicago’s next generation of workspaces are also doing school pickup together. 😂

We built the coworking space for parents that I

couldn't find.

When I became a mom in 2018, I was working a (semi)hybrid job with a newborn and trying to answer a question millions of working parents still face: Where exactly was I supposed to put motherhood during the workday?

I wanted focused, productive work time. I also wanted to breastfeed my baby and actually be part of her day. The infrastructure around me essentially said: pick one.

Eventually, I quit my job and built the thing I couldn't find.

Le Village opened in Chicago's Irving Park neighborhood in 2019 around a simple idea: What if work didn't require us to pretend the rest of our lives didn't exist?

As I told the Tribune, “For a really long time, we talked about work-life balance like work is on one side and your life is on the other. I think we realized during COVID that that was a myth.”

Chicago's coworking boom is really about community.

Today, Chicago has the second-largest coworking market in the country, even while more than 30% of traditional office space sits empty. And notably, much of the city's coworking growth is coming from newer operators creating something different from the traditional office. That makes sense to us. Because the thing you can't replicate with a nicer desk, free snacks or another office perk is belonging.

Le Village started in Irving Park, built for working parents in our own Chicago neighborhood. Since then, that community has grown into Lakeview, expanded into the suburbs with Des Plaines and Route 66 (Brookfield), crossed the state line into Milwaukee's Brewers Hill neighborhood, and continues to grow into new communities.

Today, there are six Le Village locations with three more in development. And in a pretty perfect full-circle moment, Deena Zimmerman of Baum Realty Group, who is featured in the Tribune story and helped connect the reporter with Le Village, is also our national real estate partner—helping us identify the neighborhoods and spaces where Le Village can grow next. Right now, that growth includes work underway in Chicago's North Shore and Evanston area, as well as Metro Detroit. 👀

Each Le Village looks a little different because each community is different. But the need we hear from parents is remarkably similar: I want meaningful work. I want to be present for my family. And I want a community where I don't have to choose between the two. We say Le Village is coworking for parents, but what we've really built is community: places where people can work, parent, build friendships, grow businesses and live a little more of their lives in the same place. As I told the Tribune: “We can't cut ourselves in two.”

Turns out, a lot of Chicagoans—and a lot of families beyond Chicago—feel the same way.

We're incredibly proud to be part of this story, and even prouder to be building the future of work alongside so many incredible Chicago businesses, friends and neighbors.

Read the full Chicago Tribune story: “As offices sit empty, Chicago's coworking spaces are getting more creative.”

And if the story brought you here because you're looking for a better way to make work and parenthood fit together, welcome to Le Village. Find your nearest location and come take a tour.