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Saw this potential space via an email from the new orleans arts council:

http://www.artscouncilofneworleans.org/article.php?story=20090610112704977mlc060109 4820 Creative Warehouse located in Mid City on Banks St with easy access in and out and 24 hour accessibility. There are seven spaces to choose from, ranging from 360 to 600 sq ft. Rents start at $450 a month.

For more information, please call Michael and Kathy Hirsch at 504-915-0355 or 504-220-3457, or email to bernadotte217@bellsouth.net
Several of us met with Michael Hirsch and saw the space on Friday, July 3rd. Here's a link to google street view: 4820 Banks St When you're looking at that google street view, it's at the end of that driveway between the two houses. It's been painted red since google took that pic. Some notes/observations from Simon:

• Michael Hirsch
  • has his cabinet making shop downstairs
  • seems like a very laid back landlord
• we looked at studio number 4
  • 12 feet by 30 feet (360 square feet)
  • $350/month rent (including utilities: water & electric, he said if the utilities start getting too high, he may have to charge us something for them, but right now they're not killing him)
  • month to month rent
  • he didn't mention (and we didn't ask about) a deposit, but I get the impression that he wouldn't ask for a deposit. i don't think he even wants to sign a lease. he's more of a handshake deal kind of guy. which has it's pros and cons, but all-in-all it seems a pretty good starter space for us.
  • one window that we will definitely want to install an A/C unit into, it was very hot at 4:30pm when we saw it
  • one skylight
• nice neighborhood
• Michael warned us of a woman who lives a couple houses down who has called the police due to noise from the studio in the past. so we can't have blaring music after 10pm, even though the building is zoned light-industrial.

Some notes/observations from Ben: my opinion is that it is a deal that we should seriously consider. Here are my basic pros and cons:

• Pros
  • Cost -- at 350 a month for everything, we will have money left over [assuming we have over 7 people paying dues, which I think we will]. We can use this money the help us grow. and we won't need to ask members for extra money in the future if an opportunity comes up. Imagine what we could do with an extra 300 dollars a month! It would be great for starting out. We could buy things like tables, chairs, surge protectors, ethernet cables, soldering irons, etc. Stuff that we will really need when we move into another space.
  • Community -- the other people in the space seemed to be very tolerant. It seemed like as long as we were paying rent we could do whatever we want with the whole space. There is also a possibility that we can use some of awesome those tools. The other good thing is the knowledge that comes along with hanging around the guys who are proficient with them. As for the neighborhood, I have spent a lot of time in the area and I used to walk to Banks St. bar at night with instruments in hand. I never got bothered.
  • Location -- Obviously a good a central location, and safe.
• Cons
  • As Simon mentioned, the landlord didn't want to sign any kind of contract. He had pretty good reasoning. He said it was too much of a hassle to deal with trying to enforce it if broken. I am completely cool with this, but, it has its downsides. Without signing a contract he doesn't have to meet certain needs for us. If something breaks, he doesn't really have to fix it immediately. If he wants to keep getting rent he should, but he can push us to the limits if he wants.
  • It is hot, but, it will be hot everywhere. I put this in cons but I really don't care. Once the door and window were open it wasn't bad in there. He claims that insulation is coming. If that is true it would help. Also, we can put up an AC unit. I would be fine with only a couple of fans and a fridge for drinks.
  • Availability of an internet connection was iffy. We can find ways to work around this, especially if we have extra money. Maybe we can pay for and administer a secure wireless network for everyone in the building? It wouldn't cost too much. Obviously they could give us something in return.

Photos from Ben: