Daily insights for city builders, delivered every morning at 6 AM ET. I’m Brandon Donnelly — a Toronto-based real estate developer and founder of Globizen. I’ve been writing here since 2013.

Tag: coffee culture

  • More than just a coffee shop

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    Today’s blog post is coming to you live from Quantum Coffee at the corner of King and Spadina in Toronto.

    I’m sitting by the window (where I keep running into friends) in a beautiful space that used to be an ugly youth hostel. Nice work Reflect Architecture and MAAST

    It’s my first time at Quantum, but I am so intrigued by all that is happening here that I feel compelled to share.

    So Quantum is a coffee shop. The americano I had this morning was quite good. I hope to have another one sometime in the future. But there’s more to this story. 

    Quantum is actually just one leg of something bigger. Attached to it – literally upstairs – is something called BrainStation. And across the street from it is something called The Konrad Group.

    The Konrad Group is a digital agency that does everything from brand strategy to mobile development. BrainStation teaches those same skills to other people via in-person courses in this recently renewed heritage space. And Quantum is the stimulant that helps fuel it all.

    The connective tissue between these 3 businesses, which are all basically owned by the same poeple, is something that I find super fascinating.

    It also feels like the intersection of design, technology, and space (real estate). And as many of you know, that’s what I’m all about.