January 2nd 2018 was the day I opened the doors to my business for the very first time. I got a few reminders from Google photos when I was painting the studio a few weeks before that date (On this day in 2017 I was finishing the paint in my studio). 7 years might not seem like that long when some folks have been in business for several generations. Congrats to them, but 7 years has been a long, rewarding and sometimes grueling experience for me. I've put my heart and soul into this life project and have had to battle it out with clients, banks, local government... you name it.
Well, a few weeks ago, as life would have it, I got yet another curve ball. The owner of the building where I rent passed away. She was 84, so I was very much aware that it was a possibility, but it still came as a bit of a surprise and a few weeks of stress. You see, the building where I rent was built in the 1940s. It has gorgeous wood floors and staircase and beautiful french doors, but none of the amenities of modern office buildings. Plus it's right in the middle of downtown; prime for tearing it down to slap a 20 story high rise in the name of progress.
AI generated image for illustrative purposes
In fact, I know that the late owner had AT LEAST one serious offer from a developer.
We got the call.
They let us know that our lease was up and they'd like to have a meeting with us on January 8th to discuss the future of the property.
As you may be able to imagine, I figured the heir would notify me that the property has been sold and will be torn down for development. The meeting was today.
The implications of moving out
When I got the news in late December, I started making preparations for moving day. This means hiring a real estate agent to find adequate office space in the area with the specifications I require. Also, getting quotes from providers to quantify the removal of all the network cables, servers, audio and HDMI cables in the walls, security cameras, signs, acoustic panels and all the shit we've managed to accumulate over 7 years. After that, moving everything to a new place and hoping our existing clients aren't too upset about the new production sets.
All in all it would easily amount to $10,000 - $12,000 just for the move. Money I'd much rather spend on equipment, employees, marketing, you name it!
Showtime
Today was the day. One of my business associates and I welcomed the new owner and her lawyer to our conference room. We talked a little bit about the inheritance process, how they'd, in fact, received offers on the property, but that they are not interested in selling this year.
It turns out the whole inheritance process is a bit tedious and lengthy. So even if the property were up for sale today, it wouldn't be finalized for MANY months.
They also expressed how happy they were to see the property turned into a creative space with a full commercial recording studio. We offered them a tour and they accepted.
At the end, they handed us a new contract and told us that even if it did go up for sale at some point, they'd honor the existing contract. So we went ahead and signed a new lease for a year.
When it was all over, we waved goodbye and proceeded to melt into our chairs in relief. We live to see another day.
This post is the best I can do to put into words what I experienced today. I'm going to hit the gym for a little bit to finish getting the stress out.
Thanks for reading.
