Someone's been talking, somewhere ...busyness

[kinzel]

Really, I guess someone's been talking about us, somewhere. This is good news-bad news situation, you betcha.

I guess that because while we were away for the weekend SRM Publisher's website was very busy; in fact as of now I am declaring both the Meisha Merlin Crystal Dragon and our SRM Publisher Liaden Universe Companion Volume One as unavailable. I may find some of each, and hope I do, but in the current cramped basement office of SRM ... I'm not confident that I have any more of either and the website may have taken more orders than I can fill of both of them. I still have about a dozen of the Hellspark's sitting in the last case, IIRC...but again, since we returned from the ocean I haven't had an opportunity to print all the orders out. So now things are printing, and with luck I won;t have to refund too many orders...

Oh yeah...

we did go to Old Orchard Beach, and I'm for telling you that as soon as we win that lottery we're for moving to the ocean. We got in a lot of walking, a bit too much eating, and a fair amount of lazing about... and a bunch of story-conferences and other conferences as well. You know, what-if things...

And so I'm suddenly and without much warning considering the advantages of an actual in-town office for SRM Publisher. This thought first struck me last Monday when I discovered that a small computer shop had gone of business, leaving it's quiet side-street location (see gone of of business above) empty. So I sat at the end of the street in question, looking over the Kennebec River as it flows under the Two Cent Bridge and drank a bottle of milk while I nibbled on a brownie bought from the bank's "Support The Food Pantry" bake sale.

Thoughts: SRM doesn't do much in the way or retail-walk-in type traffic, but we do need a certain amount of dedicated space, and we need it in a place that's not subject to seasonal wetness. A dehumidifier is, in the long run, not sufficient... sigh.

Thoughts: We could use a commercial address because that way we'd get shipments more consistently. Where we are in east Winslow there's a local seasonal road load limit that means we've had to drive as much as 300 miles (multiple car loads back and forth to Augusta) to pick up shipments. That limit is in force as many as 75 days. Hmmm.

Thoughts: The first three in-town locations I looked at averaged about 1/2 mile from the PO, and one I really like was 1/4 miles. Hmmm... So in gas alone we could save oh... $50 to $80 a month, not to mention the hours of drive time.

Thoughts: Then again, if we have a commercial location we might be able to get some help from the local business college, in terms of interns from the business programs. They have a firm, set in super-grade concrete ringed in barbed-wire policy that none of their interns will work with an in-home business. Since many of their students are people who are returning-to-school types, they represent an experienced and motivated resource that I don't have access to right now. Marketing help is good!

Thoughts: Of course, there's the cost. One place I looked at yesterday... is a one fee covers it all: Rent, power, heat, air conditioning, trash, water, sewer... and there's plenty of parking. Not sure if the tractor trailer loads of books could make it in directly .. but if they have to park on the street the distance to the office is about 25 paved feet instead of the 50 unpaved and sometimes mud that we have now.


Down side -- being away from the cats more. Up and down -- not being able to do laundry and dishes and such between things.

Potential: might could finally do the small writing group/s I've been thinking about... for which our house and location in the sticks are unsuited. How much is a two hour weekly in-person workshop experience worth? When I was tutoring one writing student (some years ago) she was paying $15 and then $20 a session.

Upside, reclaiming large living areas at home.

Comments welcome ...

Comments

What about broadband? Computers?

[fiopi.livejournal.com]

The one utility I didn't see mentioned was internet access, in the "all in one" fee. Also will you move a computer from the house or will you need duplicate machines? Printers? Laptop?

The thread comments from others and your own calculations have covered most other items I can think of - and if you plan to have the office "interned" a couple days a week instead of you being there in person every day, you could still give the cats the level of service they expect.

Another option for cheap office space can be found in light industrial areas - look around the college near Rolani too. I know a company that sold models over the web (space ships etc) and used a location like that - but we have a lot more unused office parks in chicagoland.

Also - UPS can put you on their regular pick up route if you are a business, and they charge less to ship to business addresses than residential addresses.

All in all, very worth considering, even if this particular place right now doesn't work out.

- Diane P.

Re: What about broadband? Computers?

[mbarker.livejournal.com]

Does the college have "incubation" spaces? While typically intended for new grads, often the rules permit any member of the college community to use them, and they can be quite inexpensive and useful, since they are intended to support fledgling businesses :-)

Re: What about broadband? Computers?

[kinzel.livejournal.com]

Ummm...

Nope. No such thing. The one college has, for example, recently expanded student housing by buying a portion of a convent...and there's been a singular lack of coordination in some growth because the boundaries and politics of the counties and small towns involved. I suspect that if you look at the map of the study area (pdf posted above) and then compared it with a map of "Greater Augusta" you'd discover a lot of overlap. Augusta, being the capital, is more likley to have those kinds of resources. Our eventual target area for relcation has even more...

Re: What about broadband? Computers?

[mbarker.livejournal.com]

Oh, well, it was an idea. I know some colleges have such setups to encourage their new grads in setting up new businesses.

Re: What about broadband? Computers?

[kinzel.livejournal.com]

Again...

there are no "cheap office parks" in the area; the college Rolanni works at is on the top of a hill encircled by woods and residential districts. The business college is off on the edge of things...

Here's a 2005 study (http://www.colby.edu/academics_cs/acaddept/economics/statistical-abstract-of-greater-waterville.cfm) showing the area has circa 60,000 residents and a workforce of around 30,000, with an average wage (in 2004) about $50 under the Maine average. The supply of available office and retail space (as well as housing) is dominated by buildings 75 to 100 years old... and by buildings less than 10 years old which are high rent. While there are some major efforts to upgrade currently unused "legacy" spaces to modern standards ...
those spaces then are too expensive for what I have in mind.

Yes, broadband has to be added in as a cost. As for computers, I'd likely move the "big machine" from home and the "big printer" -- if need be I can access the big machine from home via VPN. Since the one space I have my eye on has been a computer store there's 100 megabit cabling built into the walls and cable hook-up in place.

Re: What about broadband? Computers?

[fiopi.livejournal.com]

Somehow didn't think there'd be much other space around - I've seen enough small towns and rural areas - but had to ask. Only 20 years ago most towns around the far west suburb of Chicago boasted a feed store and gas station and not much else for 15 to 25 miles, with populations of under 10K. Now the developers and rehabbers have taken over.

The computer store sounds cool - pre-cabeled! I do hope you find something that works out.