312 Main

What 312 Main does

312 Main is a non-profit community hub and coworking facility located at 312 Main Street in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, operated as a project of Vancity Community Foundation. The organization transformed the former Vancouver Police Department headquarters into a multi-floor facility comprising a basement artist studio and maker space, a ground-floor event and meeting venue, a second-floor coworking floor with dedicated desks and private offices (2-8 seats), and leased office space on the third and fourth floors. Its product set spans five membership tiers (Community at $25-$50/month, Virtual at $25-$50/month, Hot Desk at $350/month or $30/day, Dedicated Desk at $450/month, and Private Office at $525/seat/month), plus event and meeting space rentals, artist studios, and maker space, with all desk and office tiers bundling amenities such as meeting room hours, East Van Roasters coffee, high-speed internet, Slack-based online community, and social programming.

The tenant and member base is composed of mission-driven organizations, including Indigenous rights bodies (UBCIC), environmental advocates (Ecotrust, Dogwood), social justice educators (Equitas), cycling advocacy groups (HUB Cycling), community media (CJSF), social enterprises (Megaphone, Binners Project), and a credit union tenant (Vancity). The go-to-market is community-led, with member referrals as the primary bottom-of-funnel channel, supported by a website (312main.ca), email newsletter, and organic social media (Facebook, Instagram, X). Distribution is direct-to-customer via a single Vancouver location, phone (1-866-312-MAIN), email ([email protected]), and website inquiry forms, with a stated two-day response window.

Revenue is generated through subscription recurring memberships, one-time event space rentals, and longer-term office leases, supplemented by grants and project funding from Vancity Credit Union, Vancity Community Foundation, the City of Vancouver, Western Economic Diversification Canada, Heritage Canada (Canada Cultural Spaces Fund), Creative BC, the Province of BC Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Arts, and the Jim Green Foundation. No revenue figures are publicly disclosed. The organization employs 1-10 staff, including a Director of Social and Economic Innovation (also the founder of member organization Megaphone), a Community and Memberships Manager, an Operations Manager, an Operations Coordinator, a Community and Member Specialist, and a Building Maintenance Technician. The technology footprint is non-existent beyond standard productivity and member-engagement tools; there is no proprietary platform, no AI/ML capability, and no mobile application.

Name

312 Main

Legal name

312 Main

Website

https://312main.ca

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

312 Main is a non-profit coworking and event hub in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, offering tiered memberships, event rentals, and leased offices to social enterprises, non-profits, artists, and mission-driven organizations, operated as a project of Vancity Community Foundation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Coworking & Event Space

NAICS

Facilities Support Services (561210)

akta.pro primary industry

Hybrid Work Enablement & Desk/Room Booking Operations (BPABAFAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Multi-Purpose Event Halls & Community Centers (THAHAAAI)

Keywords

• Community coworking space
• Social innovation hub
• Nonprofit workspace
• Event venue rental
• Mission-driven coworking

Headquarters

HQ city

Vancouver

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Coworking Memberships: Recurring monthly membership fees for desk spaces, offices, and community access. Includes various tiers from virtual memberships to dedicated desks and private offices.
2. Event Space Rental: Revenue from renting event and meeting spaces to external organizations and individuals. The space offers ground floor event space and conference rooms.
3. Office Leasing: Longer-term office space rental on 3rd and 4th floors for organizations seeking dedicated workspace.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

312 Main operates a multi-floor coworking and community hub in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, providing physical workspace, event space, artist studios, and meeting rooms to mission-driven organizations and individuals. The space is structured across four floors — basement artist studios/maker space, ground-floor event space, 2nd-floor coworking desks and offices, and 3rd/4th-floor leased offices — with membership tiers spanning virtual, hot desk, dedicated desk, and private office plans.

Product overview

312 Main is a physical coworking and community space offering a unified portfolio of membership-based workspace solutions. The core offerings include Community Membership, Hot Desks, Dedicated Desk Memberships, Office Memberships, and Virtual Memberships, along with bookable Event and Meeting Space and Artist Studios/Maker Space. The space is organized across four floors: Basement (Artist Studios & Maker Space), Ground Floor (Event & Meeting Space), 2nd Floor (Desks & Offices), and 3rd & 4th Floors (Leased Office Spaces). All desk and office memberships include shared amenities such as meeting room hours, high-speed internet, East Van Roasters coffee, shared kitchen, online community via Slack, and social programming events.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Community Membership Entry-level monthly membership providing access to day desks, space rental, pre-booked access, and pay-per-use meeting rooms, plus online community access via Slack and eNewsletter. Priced at $25/month without mailbox or $50/month with mailbox. Designed for community members, local residents, and those needing flexible access.
• Virtual Membership Remote membership providing online community access via Slack, mailbox option, and pay-per-use meeting rooms. Priced at $25/month without mailbox or $50/month with mailbox. Suited to individuals and remote workers who want community connection without a physical desk.
• Hot Desk Flexible hot desk access at $350/month or $30/day, available Monday–Friday 9am–5pm, with 1–4 meeting room hours included. Aimed at freelancers and individuals needing occasional to regular desk access.
• Dedicated Desk Membership Reserved dedicated desk with desk-side locker, 24/7 fob access, and 6 meeting room hours per month, priced at $450/month per seat. Includes full amenities such as high-speed internet, East Van Roasters coffee, shared kitchen, social programming, and end-of-trip facilities. Targets individuals and solo professionals needing permanent workspace.
• Office Membership Private enclosed office for teams of 2–8 seats at $525/seat/month, with 24/7 fob access and 8–16 meeting room hours included. Designed for small mission-driven teams and organizations needing private, dedicated workspace within the community hub.
• Event and Meeting Space Ground-floor bookable event and meeting venues with stage area and conference rooms. Available for conferences, workshops, meetings, and community gatherings, with catering options including East Van Roasters coffee service. Available to external organizations and individuals.
• Artist Studios and Maker Space Basement-level creative workspace providing studios for artists and maker space facilities for community members. Serves individual artists and creative professionals seeking affordable creative workspace in the Downtown Eastside.
• Leased Office Spaces Longer-term office space rentals on the 3rd and 4th floors, configured as private offices for organizations seeking dedicated workspace. Targets small organizations and teams needing flexible-term leased space with community access.

Quantifiable outcome

• Megaphone social enterprise (a member) puts more than $100,000 annually into vendor pockets and serves 300+ marginalized people per year

Named customers10 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Bureau of Labor: San Francisco coworking space dedicated to housing non-profits and social justice organizations; comparable mission, membership model, and programming focus.
• Impact Hub: Global network of mission-driven coworking and innovation spaces serving social entrepreneurs, non-profits, and impact-focused organizations — the closest functional analogue to 312 Main's social-innovation coworking model.
• Centre for Social Innovation: Toronto-based non-profit coworking operator that houses and supports social purpose organizations, with multi-floor spaces mixing coworking, event venues, and leased offices — directly comparable to 312 Main's community-hub model.

Regional players

• YVR Workspaces: Vancouver flexible workspace operator offering coworking, private offices, and meeting rooms; relevant comparable for office and meeting space pricing and product structure.
• The Network Hub: Vancouver-based coworking space offering desks, offices, and meeting rooms to local entrepreneurs and small teams; overlapping product offering but without312 Main's non-profit social-innovation mission.
• Hive Vancouver / The Hive: Independent Vancouver coworking space serving community-minded professionals and small organizations; competes locally for similar tenants in the Greater Vancouver market.

Broad incumbents

• Spaces (IWG): International flexible workspace brand with offices, coworking, and meeting rooms across multiple Vancouver locations; broader commercial positioning but overlapping product mix (offices, desks, meeting space).
• WeWork: Global coworking incumbent with flexible desk, office, and event space offerings; competes for the same broad pool of tenants but does not focus on the mission-driven, non-profit community that defines 312 Main.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/312main
• Facebookfacebook.com/312Main
• Instagraminstagram.com/312mainstreet

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about 312 Main