Not Working from Home

By Lisa Arnett
March 2026 View more Discover

These locally owned coworking spaces offer professional places to connect

Brick & Mortar

411 N. Main St., Glen Ellyn

Since 2014, entrepreneurs Andrew Nast and Adam Clabaugh worked out of coworking spaces in Chicago, such as 1871 in the Merchandise Mart. When they moved out to Park Ridge a few years later, the commute to downtown started to feel like a grind. They decided their community could use a coworking space with a boutique feel and opened the first location of Brick & Mortar near Park Ridge’s iconic Six Corners intersection. They went on to add locations in Glen Ellyn as well as the north suburbs (Libertyville, Deerfield, and Arlington Heights).

Equipping the spaces for productivity while also making them beautiful and inspiring was a big priority, Nast says. “If you go to the coffee shop, you feel a bit frazzled and overstimulated. When you work from home, you’re thinking, ‘I could be doing laundry, or I could do that chore,’ ” he says. “We want all of our members to leave with a feeling of accomplishment, saying, ‘I haven’t been this productive in a very long time.’ ” The space features ergonomic chairs, sit-stand desks, phone booths, conference rooms, and unlimited coffee and kombucha. “The look of each location is based on the seasons, so Glen Ellyn is winter, and it’s got a ski chalet vibe,” Nast says.

Day passes are $35, and monthly membership options start at $150 a month. They also offer private offices and mailbox services as well. “Maybe someone has a smaller business they don’t want to be affiliated with their home address,” Nast says. “We can provide an address for them to receive mail.” Entry to the space is via mobile app so workers can come and go as they please. Check out more details at yourbrickandmortar.com.

Good to know: A Naperville location is in the works to open by the end of 2026 in a former apartment building at 16–22 E. Benton Ave. “It’ll be our largest location, three floors, and we’re really excited for the location, right across from Central Park and minutes from the Metra,” Nast says.

Enclave Coworking

218 S. Main St., Naperville; 535 Pennsylvania Ave., Glen Ellyn; 130 W. Liberty Drive, Wheaton; 5111 Main St., Downers Grove; 15 W. Harris Ave., La Grange; 100 N. Addison Ave., Elmhurst; 10 W. State St., Geneva

This coworking company, with locations around the Chicago area as well as in Boston, Dallas, D.C., and southern California, started right here in the west suburbs. Enclave founder and CEO Robert Kellman opened his first coworking space in Glen Ellyn, inspired by his and his wife’s desires to work remotely close to home. “He created this first location to be a little working lounge and social space,” says Dan Johnson, Chicagoland manager. “And then he found that there really is a strong need for people who work remotely to have a place outside their house to work from.”

Enclave has more than a dozen local locations, including Downers Grove, Elmhurst, La Grange, Naperville, and Wheaton. “We are located in awesome spots within suburban downtown areas, so there are coffee shops and breakfast places right nearby that you can go to before or after, or if you have clients in town you can wine and dine that way,” Johnson says. The newest location opened late last year in downtown Geneva and still has private offices available for rent ($600 and up per month).

Day passes are $50 and memberships start at $120 a month for 24/7 coworking lounge access. There also are options to reserve a dedicated desk in a shared suite. Sodas, sparkling water, tea, coffee, and snacks are included, and there are also phone booths to duck into for calls. If you love a deal and don’t need to work the typical 9-to-5, the Limited Flex plan starts at $50 per month for access all day on weekends and weekdays after 6 p.m.

Good to know: Enclave offers a universal access option ($200 per month) for members who want to visit any Chicago-area location. “This is really popular for real estate agents,” Johnson says. “If they have a two-hour break between showings, they can go to whatever location is closest.” A Hinsdale location is also due to open this summer at 29 E. First St. For details, visit enclavecoworking.com.

Office Evolution

1755 Park St., Naperville; 650 Warrenville Road, Lisle

As a classically trained pianist and longtime piano instructor, Naperville resident Ashley Shi is busy most evenings teaching lessons. “About eight years ago…I was wondering: What could I do during the day that doesn’t interfere with my teaching that would allow me to do something for the community?” she says. “I volunteer quite a bit at my church, and when my kids were little, I volunteered at school. But there was something inside of me that felt like there was a community I wanted to build.” She and her husband, Joshua, decided to become local franchisees for Office Evolution. At their locations in Naperville and Lisle, they offer private offices (starting at $60 an hour or $500 a month), communal office space (starting at $99 a month), conference rooms, and virtual office solutions like mail service. Both locations have a traditional office building feel and feature kitchens with coffee, tea, and water provided. The Lisle location has a fitness center and patio that members also can use.

Members include entrepreneurs, attorneys, accountants, financial planners, IT professionals, and mental health care providers. “We always ask members, ‘What are you looking for?’ It’s not cookie-cutter; we listen to their needs and try to get to know their industry and their business,” Shi says. “Many come to us because they’re new business owners, and they don’t know what kind of office they need, but we can make recommendations based on what’s worked here for other members in their field.”

Building the community she envisioned has been rewarding for Shi. “We host events and holiday parties, and even during busy seasons, people still open their doors and see other people and are part of this community that helps each other. When people walk in, I feel like they sense that vibe,” she says.

Good to know: Flexibility is the name of the game here, Shi says. “We have meeting rooms available to book by the hour, or even 15 minutes, and we have private offices for a single person all the way up to a team office for five to 10 people,” she says. Full pricing available at officeevolution.com.

Photos: Brick & Mortar (Glen Ellyn); Alexander Giraldo (Enclave); Office Evolution