Working Remotely in Indianapolis, IN? 10+ Unique Places to Spend Your Day
Take the H out of WFH with these Indy-area coffee shops and coworking spaces.
Where employees spend their workday has largely changed in the last few years, especially in Indiana. Today, roughly 1 in 3 Hoosier workers work remotely part time, while 1 in 6 work remotely full time. And with Indianapolis being a hotbed for tech and startups, it’s no surprise how many people in the Circle City bring the office to coffee shops and coworking spaces.
Scott Soltys-Curry, a full-time remote product designer and founder of the Indianapolis Coffee Guide, has worked in the local tech scene for more than a decade.
“Indy has such a wonderful tech scene, and while our tech infrastructure has grown a lot, our tech workforce has grown faster,” Soltys-Curry says. “Our startup scene has brought a lot of creative people here. People in tech know it’s a great place to work remotely. It’s affordable, great for kids, we have phenomenal food and coffee. That has naturally built Indy into a top place to work remotely from, with many businesses setting up their environments for remote workers.”
Whether your ideal work environment is a coffee shop, a coworking space or something a bit more unusual, Indy has just what you need to tackle every work task. Here are 10+ unique places remote workers can spend their workday in Indianapolis.
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Coffee Shops in Indianapolis, IN
For Soltys-Curry, visiting a coffee shop brews creativity. “If I am ever stuck on something, there’s always somewhere I can go to reset my mind, get a refresher, and help get myself unstuck,” he says.
Indy’s plethora of coffee shops offer different environments and vibes, from spaces bustling with energy to those that are laid-back and quiet.
1. Parlor Public House, Downtown
Serving coffee by day and cocktails by night, Parlor Public House is the perfect place to spend your workday – and grab a cocktail when you’re done. Workers can choose from an array of seating options, including comfy couches, leather chairs or sturdy tables. Parlor even provides individual meeting booths for remote workers who need to take meetings or have minimal distractions. Keep in mind, Parlor goes 21+ after 5 p.m. (except Tuesdays) and doesn’t allow laptops after 7 p.m. Thursday through Saturday. But who wants to work then, anyway?
2. Blue Mind Coffee, Meridian-Kessler
Though their cafe just opened in February of 2023, Blue Mind has been roasting ethically sourced beans since 2015. With a serene and simple aesthetic, Blue Mind provides a relaxing environment. And coffee aficionados will enjoy their fresh roasts, which use beans from small and specialty importers.
3. Calvin Fletcher’s Coffee Company, Fletcher Place
In the heart of Fletcher Place right off the Cultural Trail, this coffee shop, which donates a portion of its profits to local charitable organizations, is always bustling with activity – making it an ideal place for remote workers who need renewed energy to finish a project. Sit inside or on the patio, which is adjacent to Amelia’s – another motivator, if fresh baked bread and pastries are your thing.
4. Coffeehouse Five, Greenwood, Franklin and Bargersville
Coffeehouse Five offers a warm environment in all three of its Johnson County shops. The coffee is roasted in their Franklin location, and their biscuits are award-winning. The for-benefit coffee shop funds initiatives intended to build a stronger community. And speaking of community, they would love to have you plug in and stay a while.
5. Founders Grounds, Speedway
Founders Grounds joined the coffee scene with a splash, earning Indy’s Best Coffee Shop from a local TV station in 2022. The coffee shop boasts plenty of indoor and outdoor space, but the real “cream of the carafe” is the rooftop deck. Named for the founders of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the cafe is decked out in checkered flags. So, start your… laptops?
Remember, these coffee shops are businesses, so if you’ll be posting up for a long time, we recommend you order more than just a black cup of joe.
“Being able to utilize these spaces is a privilege,” Soltys-Curry says. “For me, there’s a direct correlation between how long I’m staying somewhere and how much money I’m spending there.”
Coworking Spaces in Indianapolis, IN
Drew Kincius, CEO and founder of Sprintable, a company that helps microbusinesses and others reduce burnout, used to manage coworking sites. He says the biggest value in a coworking space is the spontaneous interactions members share with those who have similar core values.
“A lot of coworking spaces have popped up over the last couple of years, and there’s a lot of specialization in terms of who they’re designed for,” Kincius says. “If somebody spends their hard-earned money to join a coworking space, they’re usually interested in learning more about what’s going on beyond their perspective.”
He also notes that coworking spaces allow people to separate their work life from their home life and increase their productivity.
6. Draft, Fountain Square
Draft caters to Indy creatives, both as a gathering place and in its design, as it is filled with pieces and patterns by local artists. Draft offers private studios, indoor and outdoor spaces, a shared kitchen and a reservable conference room. The coworking space sells both private studio and open-area memberships.
7. Refinery46, South Broad Ripple
Designed for solopreneurs and startup businesses looking to scale, Refinery46 found a niche, offering office and coworking space to home service companies.
“Everybody who does construction services at some point was a ma-and-pa shop and didn’t have a bunch of employees,” Kincius says. “[Refinery46 has] such a niche there in terms of that.” Space options range from coworking and locker space to an enterprise floor.
8. The Speak Easy, Midtown
“I have to shout out The Speak Easy,” says Kincius, who has been a member there for seven years. “The Speak Easy does the best job of any coworking space in the city regarding bridging the gap between the two main types of coworkers, which are small-business owners and remote workers.”
The community-based coworking space offers free coffee, Wi-Fi and a cool work setting.
9. Switchboard, Fountain Square
Switchboard offers day passes, coworking memberships, dedicated desks and private offices. Plus, each tier comes with 24/7 building access. Depending on the membership level, members receive three to 10 hours of meeting and conference room space. Want to try before you buy? Enjoy free coworking from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the second Friday of every month.
10. Industrious, Mass Ave, Carmel and Downtown
Industrious, a global chain of upscale, flexible workplaces, offers three Indy-area locations. From a virtual membership (address for your business) all the way up to suites for your whole team, Industrious serves a variety of needs. Amenities include wellness rooms, free breakfasts, weekly happy hours and unlimited color printing. The Mass Ave location is dog-friendly, so take your “co-woofer” along.
Bonus Spots in Indianapolis, IN
Interested in other places you can spend your workday? Here are a few bonus recommendations from Soltys-Curry and Kincius.
- Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library branches
- Square Cat Vinyl, Fountain Square
- Amelia’s, Fletcher Place
- Kincius is partnering with the Indy Arts Council to provide pop-up coworking on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons in the Indianapolis Artsgarden downtown from mid-July through October.
“Coworking is for anyone,” Kincius says. “It’s for introverts, extroverts and anybody who wants to be in a space where you can feed off of the energy. If you go to a place and you’re not really feeling super productive, but you see a whole bunch of other people tapping away and getting work done, then it inspires you to want to get to work and to be focused.”
This article was sponsored by Life in Indy.