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QUESTION: I have a small business. Currently, I have no employees and am working out of my home. However, I am thinking about renting an office and moving my business out of my house. What do you think?
ANSWER: We have both worked in offices and out of our home, so we have some perspective on this issue. Obviously, there is no one right answer to this question. The answer that’s right for you depends on your specific situation and what is most important to you. We’ll outline some pros and cons, suggest a few questions to ask yourself and then present an alternative that might not have occurred to you.
Pros: In our home, we have a beautiful office over the garage that is separate from the rest of the house. It has a fireplace, wet bar, bathroom, large partner desk and built-in file drawers and bookshelves.
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Working from home meant that we eliminated the morning commute. At home, the dress code is extremely casual. Our two cats can come by for a pat on the head in the middle of the day — or just about any other time they wish.
These are all good things. In addition, working out of our home saves us the costs commonly associated with an office, including rent, utilities and janitorial services.
The big pros to working out of your home are convenience and cost.
Cons: On the downside, being only a few steps from the office means you never really leave work. When working from home, we said that the difference between a weekday and a weekend is that, on Saturday and Sunday, we moved our laptops from the office to the family room. In fact, Polly had an extra door installed so that she wouldn’t have to look at the stairway to the office while sitting on the sofa in the family room.
We don’t know your family situation, but if you have children, a spouse or pets at home, this can be a distraction. Home has many other distractions, including laundry that needs to be done, grass that needs to be cut, dishes that need to be washed, the vacuum that needs to be run, the television that stays on, etc.Whereas we had each other and an employee working in our home office, some people working at home alone can feel isolated and lonely. In addition, if you need to meet with clients in your office, having them to your home might not create the professional impression you want.
The cons to working from home are that it can be difficult to separate work time from family time, you might have built-in distractions or face isolation, and it might not provide the professional persona you want your business to project.
Questions to ask: Ask yourself why you want or need office space. How would you weigh the pros versus the cons? Which things are more important to you? If there are cons that are important to you, are there ways to mitigate the negatives? For example, if working at home would make you feel isolated, can you deal with this by attending networking events and working at a local Starbucks or Panera Bread, at least some of the time? This might be why we see so many small-business people frequenting these establishments.
Possible alternative: If you want a place to work outside of your home with business amenities, one option that is available in many cities is coworking space. (Full disclosure: Doug and Polly are owners of a coworking business with locations in Richmond and Hampton Roads.) If you are located in Richmond, several coworking options are available.
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Polly and our assistant moved their offices into a coworking space, and it worked out well for them. Free of the distractions at home, Polly reported that her productivity soared. Although there is no blueprint for these spaces, most offer desks, tables, couches, printers, copiers, coffee and access to conference and meeting rooms. Some will allow you to rent private office space, and most come furnished.
In addition, if you want someone to bounce an idea off of, the other coworking members can act as sounding boards. Further, many coworking members find clients and customers among their colleagues in the space.
This option is usually much less costly, more flexible and much easier to set up than renting separate office space. Coworking space might be a viable option to working from your home or renting space.
After you answer a few questions, weigh the pros and cons and think about your alternatives, we’re sure you’ll come up with the answer that’s right for you.
Richmond-area business expansions, openings and closings
88 Street Food
Popular drinks, including matcha milk tea, fruit tea and Vietnamese coffee are also on the menu.
Urban Myth Street Food
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A rice bowl with bulgogi beef and chicken skewers are among the offerings of Buskey Cider’s new food truck, Urban Myth Street Food.
Revel Market & Bar
Revel Market & Bar from Julep’s rolls into North Side at 6223 Lakeside Ave. with tapas and craft cocktails.
Rams House Bar + Kitchen
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Rams House Bar + Kitchen from the Lindsey Food Group is headed to 2035 W. Broad St. in Fan this summer.
Stanley’s
Stanley’s, a Philly-inspired hoagie spot, recently opened in the former home of Robin Inn at 2601 Park Ave.
Popshelf
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Popshelf, Goodwill, Chipotle headed to Shops at Stratford Hills
P.T. Hastings Seafood
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P.T. Hastings Seafood, founded more than a century ago, closed in April following a severe brain injury suffered by its owner.
Killa Dillas
Killa Dillas is a new quesadilla and nacho spot at 6114 Lakeside Ave., next to the Lakeside Farmers Market.
Genova’s Pizza Station & Take Out Kitchen
Genova’s Pizza Station & Take Out Kitchen opened at 723 Buford Road in Bon Air on April 19, 2023. This is the newest venture from the owners of Casa Italiana and Pizza Express, over 4 years in the making.
The Veil Brewing Co.’s new taproom
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The Veil’s new taproom, located in Scott’s Addition at 1509 Belleville St., will be three times the size of its current space, with a patio, an event space and a new in-house food concept, Nokoribi, from the owners of Longoven.
Luxe New American Bar & Grill
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Luxe New American Bar & Grill, a new fine dining concept, is now open at 1331 E. Cary St., next door to Siné Irish Pub in Shockoe Slip.
Wok This Way
Wok This Way Asian street food is now open at 13 W. Broad St.
Eggs Up Grill
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Eggs Up Grill is now open at 12050 Southshore Pointe Drive in the Southshore Shops off Hull Street Road in Midlothian.
Mayu Sushi & Thai
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Thai Diner Too, the Carytown mainstay at 3028 W. Cary St., has rebranded at Mayu Sushi & Thai.
Max’s on Broad
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Max’s on Broad restaurant is closing, will relaunch as new concept.
RICH Nail Lounge
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RICH Nail Lounge has opened at 1106 Hull St. in Manchester. — April 2023
Sycamore Jewelers, Midlothian
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Sycamore Jewelers at 4676 Commonwealth Centre Parkway in Midlothian was set to close in April 2023. Terry Sprankle and Joe Cheslock opened the business in 1998. The business previously had locations in Sycamore Square in Midlothian and Chesterfield Meadows. — April 2023
Mi Casita Restaurant
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Mi Casita Restaurant opened at 2606B Broad Rock Blvd.
Ironclad Coffee
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Ironclad Coffee opened three locations at Richmond International Airport, including this pre-security café in the atrium. — March 2023
Grit Coffee
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Grit Coffee Roasting Co. will open its second Richmond location in Scott’s Addition on April 17. — March 2023
Rockler Woodworking and Hardware
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Storefront for a Rockler Woodworking and Hardware location. The brand is opening a new store in Short Pump by the end of March 2023.
Boiling Crab Richmond
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The Boiling Crab Richmond is now to open at 2053 W. Broad St., Richmond, in March 2023. The Orange County, California-based chain has 25 locations in the U.S., as well as Australia, China, and Saudi Arabia. The Richmond location was previously Cornerstone Cigar Bar.
Blue Cow Ice Cream Co.
Blue Cow Ice Cream Co. opened its second Richmond-area location in Short Pump in the Greengate Shopping Center, 12171-C W. Broad St.
Suzy Sno
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Suzy Sno’s new location in Carytown at 3423 W. Cary St. is now open.
Diablo Doughnuts RVA
Diablo Doughnuts RVA, located at 1090 Virginia Center Parkway, Suite 105, in Glen Allen, hosted its grand opening Feb. 11.
The Brass Tap
The Brass Tap opened in Libbie Mill at 4901 Libbie Mill E Blvd Suite 100. It has a focus on beer with 60 beers on tap, plus 20 bottled beverages.
Graybo’s Sports Cards
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Graybo’s Sports Cards has opened at 214 E. Grace St. in Richmond. The business sells baseball, football and basketball cards.
Blue Ridge Cyclery
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Full-service bike store Blue Ridge Cyclery to open at Libbie Mill-Midtown
BigWife’s
BigWife’s Mac n’ Cheese brick-and-mortar shop is now open at 1017A N. Arthur Ashe Boulevard in Scott’s Addition.
Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams
Jeni’s Ice Cream in Carytown at 3500 W. Cary St. in Richmond.
CarLotz
The CarLotz brand is exiting the Richmond area. The remaining CarLotz locations will be rebranded as Shift.
Acacia Midtown
Aline Reitzer of Acacia Midtown came up with the idea for Richmond Restaurant Week. The new location of Acacia at Libbie Mill Mid-town will be participating in Richmond Restaurant Week.
Zoom Room Richmond
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Zoom Room has opened its first Richmond area franchise 3450 B Lauderdale Drive in Short Pump.
Torchy’s Tacos
Torchy’s Tacos has opened two fast-casual restaurants in the Richmond area: one in Short Pump and the second in Carytown. A third is on the way for Chesterfield.
Planet Fitness
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A Planet Fitness location is expected to open this winter at Stony Point Village shopping center in Richmond.
Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers
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The fast-food restaurant chain Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers is planning to open two Richmond-area locations in fall 2022.
Locations are planned at 12721 Jefferson Davis Highway in Chester and 1321 Huguenot Road in Midlothian. The company currently has a location at 805 W. Grace St. in Richmond.
The Baton Rouge, Louisiana-based company has nearly 700 locations in 35 states and Guam. The chain was founded in 1996.
— Sept. 1, 2022
Three Notch’d Brewing
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Three Notch’d Brewing has expanded its Scott’s Addition location at 2930 W. Broad St. The group acquired a former wine shop on Broad Street and pizza kitchen next door, which will be combined. Muralist Nico Cathcart was hired to design and paint two new pieces inside the space.
Three Notch’d, founded in 2013, operates five venues throughout Virginia.
— August 2022
Retail or Resell
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Footwear business Retail or Resell has signed a lease in Short Pump’s Towne Center West Shopping Center.
— Aug. 9, 2022
Marshalls
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A Marshalls location is planned in Staples Mill Square at 9041 Staples Mill Road in Henrico.
The chain dates to 1956 and includes more than 1,000 stores. — July 21, 2022
Raising Cane’s
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Raising Cane’s is planning a location in the 6900 block of Lake Harbor Drive in Chesterfield County, Cushman & Wakefield | Thalhimer announced.
The office represented the company in the sale.
Founded by Todd Graves in 1996, Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers has more than 530 restaurants in 28 states and other countries.
The 1.9-acre Chesterfield plot sold for $2.5 million. A 2023 opening is planned.
— June 22, 2022
My Favorite Muffin
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My Favorite Muffin has opened at 10174 W. Broad St. in Glen Allen. The local owners/operators are Sam and Suzanne Makarem. — June 7, 2022
Mattress King
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After more than 40 years of carrying the moniker of Mattress King, business owner Anil “Neil” Gulati, 72, said he’s ready to retire this year. Read more here.
Anthony’s on the Hill
Anthony’s on the Hill in Church Hill announced that it is permanently closing. — March 2023
The Mill on MacArthur
The Mill on MacArthur closed Feb. 26. — February 2023
Doug and Polly White have a large ownership stake in Gather, a company that designs, builds and operates collaborative workspaces. Polly’s focus is on human resources, people management and human systems. Doug’s areas of expertise are business strategy, operations and finance.