Bazaar St-So

What Bazaar St-So does

Bazaar St-So (legal name: Le Bazaar St So) is a French cooperative tiers-lieu (third place) headquartered at 292 rue Camille Guérin in Lille, France. The organization operates a 5,000m² rehabilitated former railway freight depot dating to 1865, situated near the Saint-Sauveur station in the JB Lebas quarter. As a Société Coopérative d'Intérêt Collectif (SCIC), the entity is collectively owned by its members and directed by Benoit GARET as Directeur de la publication. The venue hosts approximately 303 daily residents across 120+ resident structures, with 250 daily users working in shared spaces across 75 structures (L'Embarcadère) and roughly 50 creators working in 840m² of shared workshops (Ateliers Partagés). Annual visitor count reached 19,000 in 2024.

The core product portfolio is physical rather than technology-based and comprises: Coworking Libre (free open coworking Monday–Friday, 9h–17h), L'Embarcadère shared workspaces, the 840m² Ateliers Partagés workshops, 11 equipped meeting rooms (Salles de Réunion), Les Halles central event space, and Café Bazaar. Auxiliary offerings include space rental (Location d'Espaces) for seminars, conferences, and professional salons, plus a Matterport-powered virtual tour of the premises. Technology infrastructure is limited to standard web hosting (GANDI) and website development (WEB INSITE), with no proprietary software, API, or AI components.

The business model blends transaction-based revenue (event and meeting room rentals, ticketed events including yoga sessions at €15, beer yoga at €18, special dinner events at €95, and market/food events at €3–€25), subscription-style recurring revenue (resident workspace rental for Ateliers Partagés and L'Embarcadère), and hardware sales (Café Bazaar). The free Coworking Libre tier functions as a top-of-funnel marketing channel for the wider venue. Customer segments span artists/artisans, independent workers and freelancers, associations and social enterprises (70% of residents are in the social and solidarity economy), businesses and cooperatives, and event organizers. The organization operates exclusively in France (Lille and Hauts-de-France region), is GDPR-compliant, and partners with Ville de Lille, the Hauts-de-France Regional Council, WAAO, the Fonds Citoyen Franco-Allemand, and various culinary and photography collectives.

Name

Bazaar St-So

Legal name

Le Bazaar St So

Website

https://bazaar.coop

Company type

Private

Founded year

1865

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Bazaar St-So is a French cooperative tiers-lieu in Lille operating a 5,000m² rehabilitated railway depot as a coworking, workshop, event venue, and café hub. It serves 120+ resident structures and 303 daily residents, predominantly in the creative and social/solidarity economy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cooperative Workspace and Third-Place Venue

NAICS

Business Service Centers (56143), Facilities Support Services (561210)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Coworking Cafes / Work Cafes (THAFADAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Multi-Purpose Event Halls & Community Centers (THAHAAAI)

Keywords

• Shared workspace
• Coworking space
• Event venue rental
• Creative cooperative
• Third-place community

Headquarters

HQ city

Lille

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Event venue rental: Leasing of event spaces (Les Halles) for seminars, meetings, conferences, professional salons, and private events
2. Meeting room rentals: Rental of 11 equipped meeting rooms for professional briefs, client presentations, and team meetings
3. Coworking fees: Free open coworking space (Coworking Libre) available Monday to Friday 9h-17h without reservation
4. Resident workspace rental: Workshop studios (840m²) and shared workspaces (L'embarcadère) rented to artists, creatives, and artisans
5. Café Bazaar: On-site café serving coffee, drinks, and light fare to visitors and residents

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Bazaar St-So operates a cooperative third-place (tiers-lieu) in a 5,000m² rehabilitated historic railway depot in Lille, providing shared workspaces (L'Embarcadère), free coworking (Coworking Libre), 840m² of artist workshops (Ateliers Partagés), 11 equipped meeting rooms, a central event hall (Les Halles), and an on-site café. It hosts 120+ resident structures and approximately 303 daily residents, serving creative, social, and solidarity economy actors through affordable workspace and community programming.

Product overview

Bazaar St-So is a cooperative third-place (tiers lieu) in Lille, France, dedicated to the creative, social, and solidarity economy. Spanning 5,000m² of rehabilitated space, it offers a diverse portfolio of physical workspace solutions including shared workshops (Ateliers Partagés - 840m²), free coworking (Coworking Libre), shared workspaces (L'Embarcadère), 11 meeting rooms (Salles de Réunion), and the Café Bazaar. The venue's central event space (Les Halles) hosts a wide variety of functions from seminars to professional fairs. Additional services include space rental for events, and virtual tours via Matterport. The space accommodates over 120 structures and 303 daily residents, with 19,000 visitors in 2024.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Coworking Libre Free open coworking space at Bazaar St-So for nomad workers, readers, and casual visitors, available Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm without prior reservation.
• L'Embarcadère Shared workspace at Bazaar St-So hosting 250 daily users across 75 resident structures, with 70% of residents engaged in the creative and solidarity economy, spanning architecture, graphic design, and social associations.
• Ateliers Partagés 840m² of shared workshop space at Bazaar St-So occupied by approximately 50 artists, creatives, and art artisans working in scenography, ceramics, textiles, illustration, and carpentry.
• Les Halles Central event hall at Bazaar St-So capable of hosting seminars, large-scale meetings, training sessions, screenings, general assemblies, and professional fairs. Also houses the venue's bar.
• Café Bazaar On-site café at Bazaar St-So welcoming visitors daily for coffee breaks, drinks with friends, or professional meetings, located at the heart of Les Halles.
• Salles de Réunion (Meeting Rooms) Rental of 11 fully equipped meeting rooms of varying sizes at Bazaar St-So, designed for team briefings, client meetings, and project presentations in person or remotely.
• Location d'Espaces (Event Space Rental) Rental of Bazaar St-So spaces for events including seminars, professional events, workshops, and conferences, with logistical and technical support provided.

Quantifiable outcome

• 19,000 visitors annually in 2024
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• WAAO (Centre d'Architecture et d'Urbanisme)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerArchitecture and urban planning center that organizes events, exhibitions (such as Microtopies festival and 'La ville tourne en rond?' exhibition), and Archi-apéro discussions at the venue. WAAO is a key cultural programming partner for the Bazaar.
• Ville de LillecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe city of Lille is a key municipal partner, having coordinated the 'Oh MY Good!' Mobility Youth Gastronomy project (2020-2023) at the venue, and supporting various cultural programming initiatives.
• Lycée Hôtelier International de Lille (LHIL)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the 'Oh MY Good!' gastronomy exchange project between Lille and four partner cities (Erfurt, Leeds, Naplouse, Turin), funded by the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs.
• Incubateur BaluchonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBusiness incubator partner supporting entrepreneurship initiatives and featured in the 'Oh My Good' project network.
• Goûtez la QualitéminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional quality products association promoting products under official quality labels (Label Rouge, IGP, AOP, STG, Bio) in Hauts-de-France, partner for Lille Terroir Festival.
• Court CircuitminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal producer network and short-circuit initiative, partner in the food and agricultural ecosystem at events.
• Cuisine Commune de Chaud BouillonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCulinary collective partner in the gastronomy network supporting food-related events and programming.
• Institut pour la PhotographieminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPhotography institute that organizes the Book Market event at the venue, dedicated to photographic publishing and exhibitions.
• Hauts de France RegioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional council supporting the venue as European Region of Gastronomy 2023 and various cultural initiatives.
• Les Rencontres de BrazzaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrench association that initiated the COMBO photography exhibition project, partnering with German and Congolese photographers.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Ground Control: Ground Control is a multi-purpose urban venue in Paris combining food court, bar, coworking, event spaces, and rotating cultural programming. Its revenue mix (food + events + workspace) and tiers-lieu positioning directly mirror Bazaar's business model.
• La Maison Folie Wazemmes: La Maison Folie Wazemmes is a Lille-based cultural third place (tiers-lieu) that hosts ateliers, exhibitions, concerts, and community programming. Operating in the same city as Bazaar with the same tiers-lieu DNA, it competes for the same resident and visitor audiences in Lille's creative ecosystem.
• The Trampery: The Trampery is a London-based coworking operator focused on mission-led communities, offering shared workspaces, events, and resident programming for social enterprises. Its community-anchored coworking model aligns closely with Bazaar's social-economy positioning.
• Le 104 / Centquatre: Le 104 is a major Parisian cultural center housed in a former municipal funeral home, hosting ateliers, residencies, exhibitions, a café, and co-working for creators and social entrepreneurs. Its scale (multiple hectares of public space) and atelier/coworking hybrid compare to Bazaar's creative workspace model.
• La Mutinerie: La Mutinerie is a Paris-based feminist coworking and community space combining shared workspace, ateliers, and event programming with a strong values-driven identity. Its community-plus-workspace hybrid directly mirrors Bazaar's tiers-lieu positioning.
• La Recyclerie: La Recyclerie is a Paris-based tiers-lieu in a former railway station offering coworking, a café-restaurant, workshops, an urban farm, and cultural programming. It is the closest French analogue to Bazaar St-So in concept (rehabilitated transit building + community venue + café + workshops + events).
• La Condition Publique: La Condition Publique is a Roubaix-based cultural third place in a former industrial site, offering coworking, workshops, exhibitions, a café/restaurant, and residencies. As a Hauts-de-France tiers-lieu with a similar atelier/co-working/event mix, it is a direct regional competitor.

Broad incumbents

• WeWork: WeWork is the global leader in flexible coworking, offering meeting rooms, private offices, and event space across major cities. While it does not replicate Bazaar's café/ateliers/cultural programming, it competes for the same SME event and meeting-room rental budgets in Lille's broader flexible-workspace market.
• Impact Hub: Impact Hub is a global network of impact-focused coworking spaces, including locations across France. It targets social entrepreneurs and mission-driven organizations—a segment that overlaps significantly with Bazaar's 70% social/solidarity economy resident base.

Regional players

• Coco Coworking: Coco Coworking is a French coworking network with multiple neighborhood locations across Paris and other French cities, offering flexible workspace and meeting rooms. It competes for the same independent-worker and SME segments that Bazaar targets in Lille.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Bazaar_StSo
• Facebookfacebook.com/BazaarStSo
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bazaar-st-so
• Instagraminstagram.com/bazaar_stso

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Bazaar St-So