An exciting new chapter for CSG!

Nearly 10 years ago, my husband and I took the dive and bought a property to house my business: 430 Stover Street, a small house built in 1905 that had been converted to an office a few years earlier.  The warmth and charm of the place was nearly too much to resist, and a small inheritance from my grandfather took care of the down payment. Plus, I figured, with the increased visibility of the office’s location at the corner of Mulberry and Stover, sales would grow enough to cover the mortgage.

There was a huge snowstorm the day we closed on the property. Being the new owners, it was our responsibility to keep the sidewalks cleared, so we shoveled about a block’s worth of two-feet-deep snow that afternoon. The excitement of our new chapter made the task a breeze though.

Since then that space has housed 10 employees, five interns, hundreds of clients, a dog, and a mouse or two. Each workday, I’d sing out, “Hello little house, I’m so happy to see you!” upon entering, because it felt so great to be there.

Well last week we moved my business out of the property, shifting to a virtual service format instead. Over the last five years, an increasing number of clients have requested phone and video conferences for greater convenience, plus I’ve noticed those clients make faster progress overall. Part of business success is being able to flow with client demands, so we did.

That means that for now, no more singing to the house each morning, and coming up with pithy messages to adorn the street marquis. No more creaky wood floors and rooting around in the Silence-of-the-Lambs basement looking for files. And no more shoveling icy slush dumped on the sidewalks from the City plows keeping Mulberry cleared.

At least not for a while. We rented the office to another business that will benefit from the great location and homey ambience. But I’ll still be able to sing out, “Hello, little house, I’m so happy to see you!” when I pass by, and also tell it, “Thanks for the memories.”