The days of small businesses working out of large offices could be numbered, at least in the view of Michael Hymes.
Hymes, the principal of Bronxville accounting firm Hymes & Associates and its real estate investment management offshoot Woodhail Bronxville Development LLC, recently opened Woodhail Suites at the Bronxville Business Center, a nine-suite operation in downtown Bronxville geared toward startups and entrepreneurs with smaller operations.
The fully-furnished suites range from 120 to about 200 square feet, and monthly rents range from $1,200 to $1,500, according to the company. Cable, internet and television services are included in the rent, and tenants have access to a pantry and conference room. The suites are available for short-term or long-term leasing, with a minimum lease term of 3 months.
Hymes said he purchased the property at 51 Pondfield Road in December with plans to develop it as rentable office suites, led by a trend among smaller business operations to shed overhead expenses such as utilities and unneeded, often unnecessary hallway and common area space.
Hymes said some prospective tenants initially were weary of the small office space, but grew receptive after realizing  the arrangement would free them from some start-up chores of a small-business owner .
“Initially, they’re skeptical,” Hymes said. “Then they’re excited. They basically sign a lease with the business center, then they just plug in and work.”
Since opening in August, five of the nine suites have been filled. But their tenants are not the younger accountants and lawyers starting solo businesses that Hymes had expected. Instead, it has been a mix of semi-retirees and business owners who use their offices for less than a full work week.
“What we envisioned for the space was entrepreneurs who wanted to get out of the house and didn’t want to start burdening themselves with cable and internet,” he said. “They could have an atmosphere to talk with neighbors about what they’re doing and see how their business can blossom.”
Woodhail Suites operates on the top floor of a two-story building owned by the law firm Griffin, Coogan, Sulzer, & Horgan P.C. The firm was downsizing and sold the upper floor to Hymes, who also operates his accounting business on Pondfield Road.
Hymes did his research on a similar executive suite office space in White Plains to serve as a model for Woodhail Suites, as well as others in Scarsdale that catered to a similar clientele, he said.
Leo Gjoni, a property manager for Hymes and Associates, said the center’s location in the affluent village’s downtown across from the Bronxville Metro-North station and proximity to parkways makes it ideal for those who work limited hours but want a professional space to meet clients in an affluent neighborhood.
“Your Office, Where You Live” is the company’s tagline.
“It’s a good tagline because a lot of people who have looked at the space work in New York City,” Gjoni said. “It’s a great commute spot if they only work two to three days per week and only need to realistically be in the city one of those days. They can be within walking distance of where they live and be in midtown in 300 minutes.”
“You’re renting the office. That’s it,” he added. “It’s 100 percent productive.”
John DeRosa, a leasing agent with White Plains-based J.S. De Management, Inc. said the space is reflective of a shift in how smaller businesses are choosing to operate.
“This space will appeal to the start-up and entrepreneurial businesses who might have outgrown their home office and now need a more professional environment as well as other scalable businesses who may not want to commit to a larger office environment and all of its added expenses,” he said.
