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Post by Mansons2005 on Oct 13, 2013 6:39:48 GMT
This thread will be devoted to my sojourn in living in a Chicago store front - an exceptional one, I agree, and most people's requirements are much less then mine, but I thought I would share the experience with those considering doing the same.
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Post by Mansons2005 on Oct 13, 2013 6:40:54 GMT
WHY and WHAT
Everyone has a reason for choosing to live in a former commercial space or storefront. Aside from the obvious reason that the rent per square foot is usually three-quarters to half of what standard residential space rents for, a commercial space usually offers a legally zoned live/work arrangement that suits artists, web business owners, e-commerce and other “work in your jammies” professions.
How did I wind up in such a space? I was living in a spacious 2 bedroom, 1.5 bath, living room, sunroom, formal dining room, kitchen, pantry and laundry room (with GREAT closets) flat in a century old 6-flat building. I was also paying rent on a storefront from which I was selling a lot (three tractor-trailer loads) of furniture, antiques, silver, linens, books, collectibles, and etc. that I had inherited. The rent on each space was exactly the same. And the “walk-in” business at the store was drying up, but selling on-line was paying off nicely - but not nicely enough to afford both spaces. So I started to search for a (legal) live/work space.
Aside from the usual considerations when renting (affordability, location, etc.) there are some additional things to consider when looking into a specific space – almost NONE of which I was knowledgeable about to consider BEFORE I rented the space I am in, but fortunately those problems worked themselves out.
Things to consider:
Is the space legally zoned for live/work? (Your ammunition if other tenants give you grief for numerous visitors, deliveries, pickups, etc.)
What businesses is it zoned for? (Guaranteed that you can NOT run a retail store – the reason it was up-zoned is because new retail is no longer allowed in that location)
What kind of facilities are present and will you be allowed to upgrade or install anything necessary for you to live there comfortably? (A shower stall comes to mind)
What kind of physical changes can you make to the space? (Building walls to create a bedroom, etc.)
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Post by Mansons2005 on Oct 13, 2013 6:43:13 GMT
My Space
I was lucky – I literally stumbled on this space. I was in the neighborhood looking at another space (which was totally WRONG) and was walking along when a guy broke away from a group of about a dozen people standing in front of a building and asked me if I was the realtor who was showing the live/work space. The realtor showed up at the exact moment, introduced himself to everyone, including me, and I just joined the tour.
What kind of space did I rent? Exactly what I needed! Almost the entire ground floor of a three story apartment building that had formerly been a general/hardware/home furnishing store and a smaller space that was joined by a single door that had been a tailor/dry cleaner. It is 100 feet long – almost half of a Chicago city block.
Things that make me smile:
It’s HUGE, approx 3,000 square feet– the largest open space is 50’ long by 20’ wide
It has 14’ ceilings with a mezzanine (balcony/second floor)
It is actual “Ground Floor” – the interior floor and the exterior sidewalk are the exact same level
It had a functioning but rudimentary kitchen
It has a bathroom with a shower stall and a ½ bathroom that had a toilet and slop sink
It has central (gas) heat and air conditioning
It has a small paved patio area out back
It has full access to the entire basement
The space is so large that it has three addresses – and three entrance doors as well as one back door and the exterior basement entrance
The landlord’s stand on physical changes was NO LIMITS, which meant that I could change anything that did not endanger the integrity of the building itself
Oh yeah, the best part? The monthly rent is exactly HALF what I was paying for TWO spaces (apt & store)
Frowny Face:
The electrical & gas meters and telephone junction box for the entire building are in the basement and I have to be on hand to allow the meter readers and repair people access
The electrical for the hall/stairway light on upper floors and the exterior of the building are on my meter – I pay for it
The electrical in the space is old and scarce!
The space has few windows and most of those do not open – and the ones in the main living areas are diamond shaped – they suck!
It is expensive to heat and cool
It is over a century old and has miserable floors, crumbling plaster and there is not a square corner or plumb wall in the place – most of it hasn’t been painted in decades
The previous tenants were a group of twenty-something guys who had a garage band and thought they would run raves in the space….. what decorating choices they made reflected their interest in Heavy Metal music
There are other issues with specific spaces, but I’ll deal with them on a room by room basis.
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Post by Mansons2005 on Oct 13, 2013 6:45:23 GMT
List of Rooms/Spaces – entering from the main/corner entrance:
Vestibule
Reception Foyer
Conservatory
Living room & Library
Storage Closet
Card/Game room
Bar
Music Room
Powder Room
Storage Hallway
Tool Room
Stairway up to Mezzanine
Great Hall of China
Office and Photo Booth (Stairway down to Basement
Dining Room
Service Foyer
Vestibule to Service Door
Guest Bedroom
Laundry and Cleaning Closet
Stairway up to Studio
Breakfast Room/Butlery
Bathroom
Kitchen (with back door)
Mezzanine over the Card/Game Room and Bar is “The Chapel” and "The Hall of the Ancestors" overlooking the Dining Room with access to the “Christmas Decoration” storage loft over the Music Room, a bedroom and a dressing room
Mezzanine over the Service Foyer and Guest Bedroom is a large studio with access to the storage loft over the Breakfast Room
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Post by Mansons2005 on Oct 15, 2013 3:22:17 GMT
This is a link to some of the (unorganized) photos of the space - some are of the "raw" space, some are of the "in progress" spaces..............
Link to Photobucket
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Fig
New Member
Posts: 42 
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Post by Fig on Oct 15, 2013 22:43:07 GMT
The slide show is really interesting. I only watched about half of it. Ever since you posted some pics to the Antiques Board of the inside of your apartment I've been intrigued. Thanks for sharing this information about your place. Were the skeletal paintings on the wall done by the garage band, or by you?  |
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Post by Mansons2005 on Oct 15, 2013 22:56:19 GMT
Hey Fig,
Love that avatar! Naw, the skeleton painting was here when I took the place - but that is not say that I don't have a penchant for the weird as well............. the Music Room (HOW pretentious!) has no windows - and for some reason it bothered me. So using some wallpaper left over from loooong ago (simple block walls with floral sprigs and a few bugs) I created windows - hung the paper, framed it with drapes................ fills the wall and gives "that appearance".
Back to the pretentious Music Room.......... its small, only about 12 by 15, but I needed a name for the space and since the piano is there and the stereo system is there (housed in an old Victrola cabinet), not to mention the 200 hundred CD's, Music Room seemed to fit.......Oh, and there is a Hammond organ in there now as well...........a Hammond organ I can't even GIVE away..........
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Fig
New Member
Posts: 42
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Post by Fig on Oct 15, 2013 23:40:53 GMT
Sounds like Music Room is a perfect name for it!
I've heard that organs and pianos are hard to give away. There is a 100(+)year-old upright piano in one of my basement rooms. It was there when I moved in, 7 years ago. I like it, but it's not doing too well down in the damp basement, and it's way too heavy to bring upstairs! Former owners bought it for their grandchildren to play on, I guess. I'd love to get rid of it, but whoever takes it would have to pay to remove it. I doubt that I'll find anybody.
The avatar is one I swiped from the web. It's Mary Anderson, a very popular stage actress of the 19th century. I have about 10 different photographs of her, but chose to find this image from the web instead.
Fig
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Post by Mansons2005 on Oct 15, 2013 23:46:30 GMT
There is a "secret" regarding my upright piano - but I think I will keep it on the QT until I fully discuss that room here...........
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Post by bookahtoo on Oct 15, 2013 23:49:13 GMT
How do you keep all that stuff clean and dust free??
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Post by Mansons2005 on Oct 15, 2013 23:53:19 GMT
How do you keep all that stuff clean and dust free?? Um, er, um, who said it was clean and dust free? I have a deal with the head of the Spider Kingdom.........every odd numbered month the spiders go to Cancun while I destroy their webs, and they are free to rebuild when they return............and without dust I would never know where all stuff goes! I need those "clean spots" on table tops to remind me where the ashtrays go............ |
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Fig
New Member
Posts: 42
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Post by Fig on Oct 16, 2013 0:30:31 GMT
There is a "secret" regarding my upright piano - but I think I will keep it on the QT until I fully discuss that room here........... That should be interesting! If you are going to discuss each room individually, this will be a really good blog thread! (it already is, actually) -- I'll have to set up notifications so I'll know when it's updated. |
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Pat
New Member
Posts: 8
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Post by Pat on Sept 1, 2014 1:29:05 GMT
Hi, all! I was fascinated to see what you've done with your space, Mansons. And how wonderful to have that much space!
Pat (LP)
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