When we first moved to Boston, Filene’s Basement was a Thing.  If you worked near Downtown Crossing, you probably spent some lunch hour pawing through the racks for bargains at the original basement. (For the newbies, Filene’s Basement was, before it became a chain of discount clothing stores, the literal basement for Filene’s Department store and where you went for the sale merchandise.  Mark downs were automatic and based on the amount of time an item had spent on the racks.) And, if you weren’t a shopper, you might have eaten your lunch outside in the summer, visited a bar or restaurant there,  enjoyed a free concert or just wandered through on your way to Government Center, the Common or Fanieul Hall.

By the time Filene’s was shuttered in 2006, the shine was definitely off the neighborhood.  An aborted development left a literal hole in the ground and the exodus of many smaller businesses left figurative holes. But today the area has seen a resurgence with new hotels, stores and offices.  It is still a great central location and now home to several tech companies.

Coalition, our most recent Innovation Breakfast host, has set up shop there on Arch Street and is offering quite the view from its 19th floor perch. While you may think co-working is synonymous with open floor plans and working cheek-by-jowl, Coalition offers the majority of its co-workers private offices grouped around the perimeter of its swanky offices.  Floor to ceiling windows let you look out from your private digs onto the city. You can grab a conference room if needed but it’s not necessary to do so just for private calls.  Make them from  your private office!

This form of co-working means you can still easily connect with other startups and service providers but you don’t have to pretend not to hear every private detail of their business.

Thanks Coalition for hosting Innovation Breakfast.  Love the scoreboard!