GREAT FALLS — A building that used to be home to a music shop and bookstore has been renovated and transformed into a hive of activity in downtown Great Falls.
Real estate, property management, and financial planning are just part of what is now known as the MTC Lifestyle Building at 721 Central Avenue. The owners hosted a ribbon-cutting and grand opening on Friday.
One aspect that’s creating a business buzz is Haute Hive. “It’s a co-working space for individuals who are maybe traveling into town or who have business needs in the city,” said explained Lifestyle Realty owner Candra Niswanger. “They can come and have a membership, so they can come on a daily basis, weekly whatever they can come as a monthly membership.”
With phones, internet, and an open concept, the building offers a multitude of amenities for entrepreneurial-minded people in a fun and creative space. “We actually have conference rooms which people can rent the conference rooms if they need to do business” said Niswanger. “We have a multi-purpose room for events if people want to host events for their clientele or for their friends.”
Niswanger says the idea is great for business travelers like herself who travel a lot but want a professional space, other than a hotel, to work.
Her daughter and business partner Madyson Oakes says the concept is ideal for young professionals: “Things like this are starting to happen a lot more. This is actually the first one in Great Falls. I hope it pushes and encourages and inspires people to start that business maybe if they can’t have that overhead cost, they can come here and do it in a space where they have everything they need.”
The proper French pronunciation of haute sounds like “oat," but the owners feel enough people already say hot, reinforcing their message. ”Haute actually means classy, elevated, high class and that’s really what we feel the building is,” said Oakes. “We wanted to bring that style to Great Falls.”
The building’s 20 executive offices, offered through monthly memberships, were almost all spoken for as of Friday. The company hopes to add more space at their existing building on 10th Avenue South.
Haute Hive's co-working space is open weekdays from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. The executive spaces offer secure access 24-7.
The Haute Hive website states: "Trevor, Candra & Madyson remodeled The LIFESTYLE Building in 2020 with the intention to create and build networking opportunities that optimize resources in our community. The Haute Hive is the first Co-Working Space in Great Falls, MT. We look forward to offering the Great Falls community a professional, innovative, inspiring & synergetic space for diverse business."
Candra Niswanger and Madyson Oakes extended interview:
