New space for small business

Published 10:35 pm Thursday, April 27, 2017

A new space for small business owners, freelancers and work-from-homers opens soon in downtown Suffolk.

The Suffolk Executive Offices is located at 425 W. Washington St., in an office and retail building owned by Richard Chaing and his father.

Chaing said the second-floor space has been occupied by a variety of tenants over the years. The last time it was vacated, he decided to do something a little different.

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“I said, ‘Let’s not be the problem; let’s be the solution,’” he said. “We decided to do something to help small businesses grow.”

Chaing said the new City Hall building across the street provided an incentive to do something different with the space.

“There’s more traffic flow,” he said.

The Suffolk Executive Offices offer small offices that can be rented for a day, a week, a month or a year. There are larger executive offices that can be rented for a year and include a filing cabinet and bookshelf.

There’s also coworking space for folks like freelancers who want to collaborate with like-minded people. Two conference rooms are available.

“There are more remote workers today,” Chaing said. “The biggest challenge with home-based people is too much distraction — the couch, the TV, the dog.”

The offices come with amenities including a fully furnished kitchen with coffee and tea provided. A secretary will provide all of the businesses in the office with a live voice to answer the phone. There’s even a pull-up bar for folks to work some exercise into their workday.

For those who still don’t need an office but would like to have a street address for their business, there are mailboxes available. Mailboxes also are provided to businesses renting space in the building.

Chaing said a grand opening is planned for May. He already has about two tenants worked out for the building.

“I’m excited to be around like-minded business people wanting to share ideas,” he said.