Live-work units help neighbors become customers

By Michelle E. Shaw

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The sense of community that Phil and Lisa Dale feel at Studioplex is what most people want in their neighborhood.

But since the Dales also work out of their home, supportive neighbors can also mean paying customers.

The Dales’ salon and art gallery Studio Philisa takes up the majority of their 800-square-foot loft, but they wouldn’t have it any other way. “It’s kinda like ‘Cheers,’ ” said Lisa Dale. “Everybody just drops by to hang out and relax.”

Working from home isn’t a new concept, but developers have been playing to it over the past several years. Floor plans for live/work units are as diverse as the businesses found in them. Some allow for complete separation of office and residential space, while others blend the two.

Putting the best face on both the down economy and the real estate slump, developers say the number of people looking for new careers makes live/work spaces attractive options for those who may not have considered them before.

“Somebody who once had an office, and has clients they still need to see are starting to see how having a dedicated office space — not just a room in their home — can work for them,” said John Little, president of The Plinth Group, which developed Kirkwood Station and One Riverside.

The Dales take the concept to the extreme, living and working in a space smaller than many family rooms. Sleeping space is the smallest part of their open floor plan unit, and during the day it’s disguised to their clients. The couple bought their unit for less than $200,000. It eliminates the need to lease retail space for their business.

“Most people don’t believe we actually live here,” Phil Dale said. “Because there is no evidence that we live here, and that’s the way we like it.”

The Dales offer art, hair styling products and makeup services, and their 12-year-old daughter Angelique sells her handmade jewelry.

“There’s something for everybody in the community,” Lisa Dale said.

Even though the family had clients before they moved to Studioplex in 2008, having customers who are also neighbors is encouraging, Phil Dale said.

But having clientèle before moving to a live/work environment, especially in a new community, can be key to the success of a business.

Bob Burkhardt and Jack Simonetta bought a 2,200-square-foot mixed-use unit, for about $400,000, at Kirkwood Station a little more than two years ago. The duo, along with friend Peggy Dana, opened pb&j art gallery in 400 square feet on the entry level instead of leasing a space, he said.

While Burkhardt said he loves the flexibility of living above his gallery, business isn’t as brisk as he’d like. Before they opened the gallery the trio used to show at art festivals, he said. So while the three of them may have had fans, having a gallery was new.

One of the challenges of the location is traffic, Burkhardt said.

“There are only two of us functioning as retail right now, and that makes it a little tough,” he said of Kirkwood Station. “We’re also sort of on the side, so it’s not obvious that we’re back here.”

But for someone thinking of opening their own business, Burkhardt said he’d recommend a live/work unit.

There is a certain pressure a developer feels to make sure the neighborhood comes together and businesses have a fighting chance, said Jerry Miller, who developed Castleberry Point Lofts with W. Bruce Gallman.

“I think it was the neighborhood that was already in place that made us feel comfortable about building these units,” he said.

The Miller Gallman building has retail, 112 residential units and six live/work spaces that complement the existing neighborhood, Miller said.

Tenants include a spa, an art gallery and soon to come will be a grocer, and a restaurant, he said.

But the economy and lending restrictions are making it harder to sell the units.

Of the six live/work units, two have sold since the development went on the market last year. But he attributes the slow sales to the economy, not the product.

“I think more and more people will like this option and it will continue to be available,” Miller said. “It’s been working for years, and I think it will continue to work for many more years.”