There are a couple things wrong with a loft office, things you need to be aware of before you plop down a retainer on one; allow me to point those out those drawbacks and then present a viable alternative.
A little history first: lofts used to be the least-desired real estate in any area for office leasing. They were always on the top floor, directly below the roofline. They were difficult to get to, often involving climbing several flights of stairs, they were drafty, and they more often than not were simply large, open rooms with no interior decorating sense at all.
And then, a gentrification came, and with that movement came a new desire by the “artsy” folks flock towards lofts. Lofts became the hot ticket item on the commercial real estate market, and desire drove up the price and put most lofts far out of reach for most small businesses. Those funky upstairs units became the play space for the rich, and all others were left with desire and nothing more.
Until now!
A little more history: five years ago, if a small business owner wanted an office, what would they find when they searched? Ninety-nine times out of one-hundred they would search among hundreds of offices, all functional, all institutional in design, and all rather bland. The location would change but the basic elements and appearances did not. An office is an office, and that’s just the real of it five years ago.
But things are changing in the industrial space for lease game. Some smart developers took a look at the strong desire and demand for lofts, took a look at the current state of office rentals, and wondered to themselves why traditional offices, in traditional business parks, couldn’t have something resembling a loft attached to the office for lease.
And so it happened!
And it happened because of shipping containers!
Rather than explain that bold statement, it’s easier to see it in a real location, so we turn your attention to a place called Box Office Warehouse Suites in Fort Worth, Texas, the first and only business park in that Alliance Area made entirely from shipping containers.
But what does that have to do with lofts and loft offices?
The owner and developer of Box Office Warehouse Suites wondered if it was possible to inexpensively add an upstairs to a traditional office space, the key word there being inexpensively. If it was possible then it would be possible to produce offices for rent with the allure and ambiance of an upstairs space quite like the old lofts of history.
And it turned out that shipping containers, which were originally designed with the purpose of stacking one on top of the other, were the perfect solution to his dilemma.
Today, Box Office Warehouse Suites offers thirty-eight office suites made from 100 shipping containers, and many of those suites offer an upstairs component with grass patios and areas for relaxation, much the same as could be found in many of the old lofts.
Welcome to Box Office Warehouse Suites, the practical solution to your commercial needs and desires.
