From the outside, one of the most striking features of the Albany Art Room is their bright pink and blue sign. Just looking at it started the creative juices flowing, but the real excitement starts when you enter the space. Read how LEAP helps make the transition from residential to commercial more efficient. 

Commercial Space for Art

The Art Room is located in a converted 3 story house on New Scotland Ave in Albany, NY. Karen Schupack started the Albany Art Room to open up the visual arts to a wider community. AAR offers classes in various artistic mediums, along with drop-in open studio and private studio space. The first embodiment of AAR was in a storefront space next to El Loco on Madison Ave in Albany, right around the corner from Lark St.

Two years ago, Karen relocated AAR to offer up more space for the growing demand of her customers, both for studio rentals and open studio. (Did we mention it’s also much easier to find parking?) The new space also offers Karen the opportunity to customize her space and build more efficiency into her operation.

So how do you augment a structure, originally designed to function as a house, into a thriving center for business? (Hint: work with an architect). Karen connected with LEAP Architecture a few months ago and took the first concrete steps to envision a commercial redesign for her space.

Karen’s objectives were straightforward: utilize more space for revenue generating activities, and reorganize overall space for maximum productivity.

Doubling Retail Creative Space

LEAP understands that having the right information is key to making strategic business decisions. After meeting with Karen and touring of the space, LEAP put together a detailed layout of the building, which highlighted currently used space. Eric Davenport, (the project lead) was able to quickly identify underutilized areas that could be transformed into new studio spaces and additional classrooms.

The schematic below highlights the current space on the left (in red) and underutilized space on the right, (in orange). In short, LEAP identified additional studio space, which could double the current operation — within the exiting footprint. Expanding classrooms and studios would mean the ability to serve more customers and generate additional revenue.

There is of course, an investment for fitting up the new space. Which brings us back to the need for information.

Commercial redesign schematic for the Albany Art Room. LEAP identified additional revenue generating space inside the exiting footprint, which could double the current studio space.

Commercial Redesign – Does it Make $ense?

As business owners ourselves, we understand the question – Is it worth it? That’s where LEAP’s analysis of construction dollars comes into play. Our architects allocate money to the most appropriate categories, for the best investment and rate of return.

A LEAP architect put together a detailed cost benefit analysis (CBA) for AAR, to help Karen make an informed decision for her business. (But of course, we can’t share that). That particular CBA  is confidential to our client. We can however, show you what our analysis takes into account. Click here to see an example of LEAP’s CBA, a critical part of our construction analysis.

We will continue to support Karen in the next stage of growing her business. In the meantime, check out the offerings of Albany Art Room for yourself – where everyone is an artist!

[box type=”bio”] Contact LEAP if you are considering renovations to your commercial space. We help you plan and make critical decisions early on, that minimize risk and maximize returns. [/box]