Ladies and no gentlemen – New York’s famed female-focused co-working space, The Wing, is making its way to Toronto. The popular women’s club and workspace thrilled its legion of 206,000 Instagram followers in announcing since six new locations across the globe, with spaces in London, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Williamsburg and, of course, Toronto.
The Wing first took flight in 2016 at the hands of former PR executive Audrey Gelman and business mogul Laura Kassan. The two aimed to create a women’s only club inspired by those of the late 19th and early 20th century. They opened a modest location in New York’s Flatiron district that grew to be a workspace and community hub for over 600 women. Since opening its pastel doors, the company dominated New York’s boroughs with locations in SoHo and DUMBO and is even slated to open a Washington location by the end of this spring. All of The Wing’s various locations are designed for and by women thanks to an all-female architecture and design team who have made the spaces inclusive, inviting an accessible with everything from showers to lactation rooms. The Wing also offers an extensive food and drink menu, innovated and execute by female chefs, sommeliers and mixologists.
via @the.wing
Though Toronto has many co-working spaces, there are only a few that cater to a predominantly female audience. Rachel Kelly’s female-driven Make Lemonade was without a doubt a huge success for female business owners, influencers and entrepreneurs in 2017, as she created a space in the city that bans “sexist, racist, xenophobic, homophobic, transphobic, ableist, classist or otherwise discriminatory language.” While men are certainly welcome to join Make Lemonade, not one has yet to sign on the yellow line. Kelly mentions that, “If you start exploring a couple of the co-working spaces you’ll notice there is quite a male-dominated culture in a lot of these spaces and that presence is quite overpowering. Just the vibe – the overall bro vibe – is a very real thing. It’s important to have the space where we all feel comfortable and that this is ours, that we have ownership as well.”
via @the.wing
Many Canadian women are feeling the need for a work space free from distractions. Members of traditional co-working spaces like 22-year-old Kim Korton have grown tired of men using work-spaces as social spaces, often getting approached with questions like, “What are you doing after work?” as opposed to, “What do you do for work?” Korton outlined that her concerns were not personal, strictly professional, in saying, “I have a startup here in the city and I’m trying to be like every other entrepreneur and trying to grow my business.”
Via @the.wing
If there’s one thing The Wing is doing, it’s growing – and inspiring others to grow within their community. A self-proclaimed,” home base for women on their way” or “your throne away from home,” The Wing insures that their members feel supported on their path to success. Not only is The Wing simply an office, but a vital hive for all queen bees to buzz about. Though no date has been posted for The Wing’s 2019 Toronto-opening, you’re free to apply for a membership now here.