Tech check
SARA DIGGINS, Missoulian
Yossi Langer works for his California-based technology company remotely from the Bike and Type workspace on Tuesday morning. Langer is from out of town and is in Missoula visiting family. "I needed to get out of the house to work," he said.
Bike & Type
New coworking spaces in downtown Missoula DAVID ERICKSON david.erickson@missoulian.com
with room for perhaps as many as 200 workers.
A Missoula entrepreneur is hoping to cut down on car traffic in the downtown area by opening new coworking spaces in historic buildings.
“Inexpensive office space is in demand, especially downtown, and we saw this as kind of a creative solution to that,” Caras explained. “I toured a WeWork (coworking space) a few years ago and always thought it was cool. I think it’s going to be a fun spot.”
Nick Caras recently opened the new Bike & Type coworking facility at 415 N. Higgins Ave., which can accommodate 60-70 users. He’s also in the design phase for another coworking space in the lower level of the Hammond Building at 101 S. Higgins and that should be open this fall, 12
MISSOULA BUSINESS • SUMMER 2020
He and his team rapidly remodeled the building at 415 N. Higgins, which was built in 1911 and features an alley that connects West Pine Street with the
former Old Post Pub parking lot. He’s turned that into an outdoor office space, and he’s got inside offices, conference rooms, private rentable desks and a break room. With the rise in work-from-home and remote work across the United States, coworking spaces have become increasingly popular as a way for people to socialize, have an office to meet clients and use office services. The Bike & Type features fiber internet, a receptionist that can direct clients, secure entry and
Thursday night meet-and-greets featuring local beer in kegs from Worden’s Market just steps away. “This alley had always been kind of vacant and a den of vice,” Caras jokes. “But I thought it was really cool and kind of European-feeling, so I wanted to do something with it. We’re going to use it as event space so people can do their wedding or throw parties here." Then, during the day it’ll be an outdoor coworking space, he said.
