When twin brothers Byron and Dexter Peart launched their ethical, globally sourced online housewares store Goodee in 2019, their team of nine was operating out of a shared workspace in Montreal. Once the pandemic hit, like many companies, Goodee went remote. But, by 2023, the brothers, whose parents immigrated to Canada from Jamaica in the 1960s, were itching to get their team working together, and in-person, once again. “Dexter and I were missing that community,” says Byron. “We wanted an office where we, as a company, could be together, have our product close to us, collaborate and work on a common cause.” 

It’s been a fusion of not just our cultures, but a community of different cultures that feels truly unique.

Their search for a new office space brought them to the Ville-Émard neighbourhood in southwest Montreal. Specifically, to a 2,500-square-foot office space in a converted wool-spinning factory. “For a period of time, it was artists’ lofts,” says Byron. “Now, it has a number of art galleries and showrooms for manufacturers of really interesting products.” The Goodee team fit right in, moving into their new office in May 2023.

The unit—a live/work space—has 18-foot vaulted ceilings that let in plenty of light through large windows overlooking Montreal’s Lachine Canal. Two existing rooms were converted to conference rooms, now equipped with AV technology and cameras when virtual meetings are needed. (The wallpaper adorning one of the meeting rooms, from the Barcelona-based company Coordonné, is actually the same design that adorns the bathroom of Byron’s Montreal apartment, just in a different colourway).

While Dexter and Byron had a private office at their previous company, the luxury leather goods brand Want Les Essentiels, which they exited in 2017, the brothers wanted a more equitable layout at Goodee. So they set up an open-concept workspace with 12 identical sit-stand desks in groups of four. “Everyone in the team has the same amount of floor space, the same chairs,” Dexter says. “It’s even and egalitarian. That’s something that was really important for us.” The brothers have, however, chosen desks next to each other. “It’s kind of funny,” Byron says. “We’re still two twins in a womb. We work side by side.” 

It’s an inclination that may also be influenced by their Caribbean roots. The showroom is just next to a bar-height harvest table in the kitchen, used as an impromptu meeting spot or secondary workspace (Byron appreciates working here at times, since it reminds him of rotating between his home office and dining room table during the pandemic), a place to spread out and review new product samples or fabrics and a spot for the team to eat lunch together. 

“When we were growing up, our parents ingrained into us that our time at the table together was sacrosanct,” Byron says. Now, come lunch-time, their communal table becomes a gathering of team members and a merging of their cultures and backgrounds (three-quarters of the team have roots in places like Haiti, Portugal, Colombia, Greece, India and Lebanon). 

“At around 12 o’clock, there is food from everywhere that people are bringing in,” Byron says. “It’s been a fusion of not just our cultures, but a community of different cultures all clashing together to make something that feels truly unique.”

When the Pearts or other team members need a moment to themselves, they retreat to a small meditation room in a second-floor loft equipped with a daybed and Nanimarquina rugs, which are made in India and sold on Goodee’s website. They’re just one of many of the company’s products found around the office. In one corner of the main workspace, a set of shelves acts as a showroom of sorts to display the latest and greatest items sold by Goodee. “Our team goes in monthly to re-merchandise the space,” Byron explains. “Even for us, we get excited seeing our products.” 

“It’s half-selfish,” Dexters adds, “because we just love being around beautiful things.”