Tink's Studio Quest

[Tink]

Thinking Out Loud: An Exercise in Forward Movement

Most of you know that I've been cutting back on our travel schedule drastically. Being on the road so much has been really hard on both of us, and has made what was already a difficult time (family losses, etc) even more challenging. The good things about it are many:

• We've met wonderful people
• I've learned to torch on ANYTHING
• It's been an invaluable test for our relationship
• It's been fun as heck!

I've also been lamenting (for about 20 years) the fact that when I wake up in the morning, I'm already at work. Add to that my extra "g" (for guilt) chromosome and my workaholism, and you've got a perfect recipe for burnout. Which I really don't want to happen. I need structure in my life. I need to be able to point at the clock and say "It's time to go home now", and then DO IT. I can't imagine actually having a home that isn't an office/studio, but I want it so badly I can taste it.

I've also had an epiphany: I love having people around to watch me work. It's really hard for me to become motivated when I have to go down to the dungeon all alone to melt glass.

Solution: Find studio space somewhere.

I've been looking off and on for about 15 years. Either the space is perfect with lots of walkby traffic and a high lease rate, or it's perfectly priced, but in a light industrial complex out in the boonies. Or it's a fancy schmancy place and fire scares them. And we all know that I'm not a fancy grrl

I'm going to look at a place tomorrow that seems to be PERFECT!
http://www.parkwesttoledo.com/PDF/335%20Superior.pdf

Don't pay any attention to the prices listed. I was made a much, much better offer. I'm on my way down to peek in the windows right now. I'll let you know what I think when we get home.

I thought I'd start this thread to chronicle my adventure from conception to inception to sustainability (ideally) in the hopes that what I learn on this journey will help others in the future. I'm sure that topics here will range from leasing information, to zoning, to insurance, to ADA stuff to... Well, you get the idea.

[mtarara]

OOOH!!! Good luck with finding the perfect studio space!! And the thread is a great idea!
I'll keep my eyes out for more!
Mary T.

[Tink]

Thank you, Mary! I'm finding out there's a buttload of stuff you need to know just about leases before you can leap. Single, double, triple net leases... Bleah.

We did go peek in the windows at the space I linked to above. It would be perfect for a small, one-person studio with space to sell stuff, too. Looks like it has a security system installed. Great street location with big windows, some oak built-in shelving behind what could/would be the register area.

The folks in the store next door (a book store that has been in that location for 40+ years) came over and said hello. They asked about our plans, and were happy to hear we weren't another band. LOL! Apparently, the building we're looking at has some bands as tenants and it gets loud. Wouldn't bother me, personally, but could be an issue if I was teaching.

I told John it looked like I could tear out the carpeting, haul my torch, kiln, etc down there and be melting glass within a day or two. It's nothing fancy, but all I need is a start, right?

I plan to call the owner and ask some questions, maybe this evening. I know he's out of town, but what the heck. I need to know:

• What kind of lease it is
• What the term of the lease is
• What expenses aren't covered in the quote he gave me
• What I can do to the interior without it being an issue
• Property is up for sale - What protection do I have?
• Ask about the bands and the noise level

I may get to go inside tomorrow afternoon.

In the meantime, I need to get some numbers on insurance.

[Megan]

If you lease instead of buy, most owners/landlords will give you from a couple of months to 6 months or so of no payment to get set up and such.. Looks like a great building..

[LoriBird]

OOOOOOOOO that looks neat!! What floor are you looking at? can you see the river from up there? Go in Go in...go check it out!! HOW exciting!! Fancy <snort> crap it up...You're gonna have a blast!! <btw.. I still want that on a t shirt>

[Tink]

I'll ask about that, Megan!

So I talked to the owner again and got answers to my questions. I liked the answers I got.

It's a simple lease: Month to month, first and last up front. Heat and electric are included, though I would be running a separately metered natural gas line in for my torch(es) and paying for that on my own. There is a security system installed. He recommends insurance.

I can pretty much do what I wish to the interior, as long as it looks nice. Right now, one wall is marble, and the others have been painted a flesh color. Ick. There is carpeting down, but it's just laying there, not installed or anything. He said I could roll that up and store it, then replace it when I move out.

I'm going down Saturday so that I can go inside the space and check it out. Move in is immediate upon receipt of the first/last month's lease payment. The price is low... WAY low... Particularly given the location. It's cattycorner from The Valentine Theater, across the street from a brand new parking facility, and a mere block away from the new Arena, which is scheduled to open in 2009.

The price is SO low, in fact, that a good friend of mine who was the project manager for the Glass Pavilion here in Toledo, and who knows her way around leases and spaces and such gave me a list of things to ask the guy. She was SURE there was some hidden evil going on. I called her back after getting the answers, and she said, "What's wrong with him?" LOL!

Eek. Eek. Eek.

I may actually do this. I am really scared.

[Tink]

Lori, my space would be the storefront space at street level.

[vetropod]

So what do you need to do to make this decision? Sounds like you're pretty psyched about this place and that it's a good deal!

[Tink]

*sigh* I just need to commit. I'm asking everyone I know for their input, particularly those I know aren't "yes men" who tell me everything I come up with is a good idea. LOL!

For the benefit of those who come to read this thread when trying to decide if they should rent/lease/buy studio space or stay put in their garage/basement/kitchen studios, I'm going to explain what my thought process is right now. The pros, the cons, the unknowns... And my feeling about everything.

So unless you're REALLY interested in this topic, now might be a good time to stop reading and slowly back out of the thread. LOL!

Here's the deal: Our household runs solely through our glass businesses. My work. John's work. Our teaching. My business expenses right now are minimal: The greatest expense really comes from teaching (house sitter, car rentals, eating on the road, airport parking, typical travel expenses). That's also where the bulk of our income has been generated the past two years.

My work sells very well, thank goodness. So does John's. I don't get nearly as much work made as I want or need to. Part of that is because I'm on the road so much. Another reason is that I hate going in to my studio. I can't deal with the isolation and lack of structure the way things are right now.

Now, if I can find a way to stimulate my work, I'll make more work. Theoretically. I also want to be able to teach here in town on MY terms (ie not through the Museum or renting time at someone else's studio). I also want to be able to sell the work of others and rent out torch time.

Financially speaking, we are in good shape: No mortgage, no car payments, no loans, no credit card balances. We have about $1000 in expenses per month (gas, electric, car insurance, land line and cell phones, water bill, trash pickup, cable/internet, web space) not including food and gas for the car(s). About the only places we drive to are the airport (when we leave town), Home Depot (because we live in a 100 year old house) and the grocery store. While I don't want to say gas is negligible, we sure don't use much. As for food, I guess we spend about $125/wk on food, including eating out. I think.

Right now, life is good: We don't have any debt, to speak of, and we've had the money to pay our bills this year and actually end up with a little tiny bit left over. So far.

Now that we're cutting way back on teaching trips, I will have to make up the financial difference by making and selling work. This decision to move my studio out of the house is, in part, an effort to increase my production and, therefore, sales.

But it terrifies me. Why? What if I fail? What if I get down there and put money into the whole gas line thing and move my whole studio only to find that I am no good at putting pants on every day and schlepping down there to melt glass? I think I will be good at it, and I think it will make me happy, but I've been wrong before. If I'm wrong, I will have wasted both time and money that could have been better used in other ways. I HATE WASTING ANYTHING. Time. Money. Glass. Energy.

In this case, however, I believe that if I *don't* go for it, I will forever wonder if I made a mistake. If I go down there and bomb, then at least I'll know, right? It's THAT KNOWLEDGE that I'll be paying for with my time and effort and money.

I just need to decide if I can live with that.

[Tink]

Oh, and if anyone who IS currently leasing would like to share notes on location, cost, stuff like that, please feel free to either post here or send me an email at gamegrrl@buckeye-express.com --- My Black Swamp address is still acting unreliably.

I have no idea what a "good" price is for leasing this kind of property. All I know is that I really think I might be able to afford what they're asking, and it's less than any other place I've checked out, and it's in what seems to be a great location. But I would really like to be able to compare with what other people are paying in other markets.

[IF-Designs]

It looks like a beautiful building with some gerat character and curb appeal, its in a great location I think for all sorts of different types of foot traffic and dropper byers.....If the place is well kept the roof is decent (ie) no leaks and stuff and if there are no obvious security issues....and it is a really good deal Id go for it....you could have classes there, demos, stuff like that....id also think to check police reports of crimes that have happened in the last 2 years in the vicinity of the store front your looking at...

[Cherine Perrin]

It really looks like a great location. I had no idea that they were replacing the old Sports Arena. I saw many concerts there as I grew up in Ida, Mi.
I think the idea of being on the ground floor is a must. People walking by and looking in and saying "hey what's she doing in there?"

If you hate going down in your studio space now, this is probably the best thing for you.

I'll come take another class for sure!

Good Luck!

[Tink]

That's a good idea re: checking the crime reports. I know how to get those online. I do have to think though that if it were too bad, Leo's Bookstore wouldn't have stayed there for over 40 years.

I can remember walking down this particular street with my Grandma when I was little. My family lived on the East Side, across the river. Going Downtown was a HUGE deal! My dad hated driving downtown (we lived in the suburbs/rural area), and as a teen I was forbidden to drive across the river. I took voice lessons when I was in high school, and that gave me Special Dispensation to drive downtown.

When I was little, I often spent the weekend with my Grandma, who lived in the city. It fascinated me that you could catch a bus and go ANYWHERE! We'd hop on a bus, ride across the river, then shop at BIG deparment stores. Then she would take me to The Golden Lily for Chinese food

I think Grandma would be proud as hell if her "little hellion" opened up shop on North Superior Street...

[Tink]

Cherine, it will be cool to be set up to teach! I hope to be able to do one-on-one classes too, which is something that I've only ever offered a couple of times in the past, mainly here in my home studio which was, in retrospect, rather insane. LOL! I look forward to being able to set up my crucible kiln and glory hole so that I can teach ornaments and paperweights and stuff, too!

Because the space isn't really big enough for all that AND a huge flameworking table for ten, I'm hoping that some folks will feel motivated to do the one-on-one thing.

[Paul Ewing]

Check and see what the parking arrangements are for yourself if you will need to drive there. Also it might be a good idea to have an inspector check it out as well to make sure electric and other things are in good condition. Be sure that it will handle kilns, lighting, and ventilation. Speaking of ventilation, be sure that there is a good way to ventilate the studio space especially if you will be holding classes there. Make sure that the landlord understands you will be installing vent hoods and exhaust fans.

[Tink]

Thanks, Paul. I have all my amps totalled up already

John tells me he has doubts that I'll be able to use the crucible kiln there. Argh. I've had that darn thing for five years, and have only been able to fire it up a few times. Frustrating. This space has a suspended ceiling, which is the issue apparently.

[Judi_B]

It looks like a great place for a studio. What about zoning and fire codes? If one of the upper floors is residential (the condo), will there be any problems with putting a flameworking studio on the ground floor?

[Tink]

The zoning is fine, from what I could tell. For the sake of documenting this whole process, I'm going to go look it up again and post the info here.

Apparently, Toledo doesn't see flameworking as being much of an issue. There are flameworkers sprinkled throughout the arts/studio area of downtown. I don't think ANY of them are using natural gas, which surprised me. I know the primary studio spaces in the area are at the old Hotel Secor building, and that they've had the building inspectors in there to check out the studios, and that there is at least one artist in there using propane. It surprised the heck out of me, but what do I know?

Ok. So back to work on checking things out: Zoning and Fire Codes.

[susanlambert]

Think of what time of the day is your most productive. I rented studio space and it was difficult for me because I like to work into the wee hours of the morning. So I moved into our garage which is the best situation for me. But.. you make your income with your work, so you probably have better hours.
The great thing is that you can open the studio to customers! pretty awesome.
good luck with it!
Susan

[Tink]

Ok. Here's a link to the Ohio Fire Code. Enjoy:

http://www2.iccsafe.org/states/ohiofire/

...and here is the zoning designation for this property:

1102.1100 CD, Downtown Commercial
The CD, Downtown Commercial zoning district is intended to accommodate a broad range of uses to reflect downtown’s role as a commercial, cultural and governmental center. Development is intended to be intense with high building coverage, large buildings, and buildings placed close together. Development is intended to be pedestrian-oriented with a strong emphasis on a safe and attractive streetscape.

[Tink]

I tend to work at night, too, Susan. I am kind of a night person. But I think that's partly procrastination. Takes me until midnight to get up the gumption to go down there. LOL!

I'm MUCH more inclined to work if there are people around for some reason.

I keep fluctuating: Good idea, bad idea, good idea, bad idea... LOL!

[susanlambert]

It can't hurt to try.... the lease is month to month yes?
the lease where I rented was month to month, so it was not a bad move. It just helped me realize that I am a night worker and it's best for me to be at home. So.. it was a weekend out of my life to move everything. no big deal. It took about 4 months for me to decide it wasn't working for me. You will learn things about yourself you think?

A friend rents studio space for his pottery work. He is a full time artist in Kalamazoo, MI and he loves it. He says it keeps him working because he keeps regular hours and people can come in to browse and buy.

hard to decide..............

Susan

[loribeads]

In this case, however, I believe that if I *don't* go for it, I will forever wonder if I made a mistake.

That is a powerful and compelling reason to do it.

I dream of doing the same thing, really. I think I would be much more productive in a space where people could SEE me slacking.

I think if the numbers make sense, you should go for it.

[loribeads]

Oh and I am TOTALLY excited about this for you!!!!

[Tink]

I'm sure I will learn more than I ever wanted to know about myself if I do this. LOL! I keep thinking "I could just save the lease money and stay home and work" followed by "But I would LOVE being able to talk to people and having a REAL HOME to come home to at night".

I think it would be healthy for me to not work so much. Work HARDER, maybe, but not every freaking waking moment like I do now.

Robert Mickelsen said to me about four years ago that moving his studio out of his home was the best move he ever made. But I think I heard recently that he has closed his external studio? *sigh* I don't know if that's a fact, and if it is, I don't know the reasons behind it, but it does make me think "If he can't make it, how the heck could I???"

[Tink]

Oh, and would anyone like to take a guess at the monthy lease rate? I would really like to see some guesses...

[beadworkstudio]

Is there a decent hotel nearby? Places to eat? I think those would be factors for one-on-one classes. I'd do it in a heartbeat if I didn't have to rent a car and find my way around.

[Tink]

Oh my yes!!! Good hotels, LOTS of great places to eat, coffee house a couple of doors down...

[theglasszone]

Dearest Tink:

Truly...what little you DO know of me (which, believe it or not, is pretty much what I'm ALL ABOUT), you can probably figure I'm not going to tell you just what you want to hear - especially if I think you are making a rash move or might be making a BIG mistake!

I have a most sincere suggestion - I realize that you have a ton on your mind, and probably not a lot of spare time - so this is going to sound pretty off the wall:

1. Go rent the movie "Stranger Than Fiction"
2. Sit down with John and watch it!!!
3. Think about where you are and where you want to be!

I know all will work out for you!!! (Whatever that may end up being). I sincerely believe you are ready to shake up your world FOR THE BETTER! It might seem like tough going in the beginning, but you've had some tough times and painful losses lately - time to start a fresh, new dream - and let it come true!!! All my very best to you!

Hugs from here in CA,
DeAnne

[squid]

This is almost a no-brainer. I don't even like coffee, but a coffeehouse two doors down would clinch it for me .

Seriously, I think it sounds like a fantastic idea!