Fine, But You Can’t Meet Clients In A Starbucks Forever

Thank goodness consumers are still shallow enough to care about a Midtown Manhattan address:

Small business owners who want the cachet of a Manhattan address but can’t afford the real estate prices are increasingly looking to virtual office plans, forgoing big rents for small spaces in favor of leasing a mailbox, receptionist, and conference room when needed, all for about $300 a month.

When a public relations executive, Shirar O’Connor, wanted to start her own firm, she didn’t have the capital to find, furnish, and fully wire her own office, so she looked into a virtual plan. Within 24 hours, Ms. O’Connor had a Midtown Manhattan address, administrative support, and a desk should she need it.

“The Manhattan address was the logical decision for us,” Ms. O’Connor, whose firm, the Pont Group, specializes in economic development, said. “All the media is based in New York.”

The average price per square foot for commercial real estate in Manhattan is nearly $60, up from $44 last year at this time, according to the brokerage firm Cushman & Wakefield. Those high prices can quickly add up, forcing small businesses to think more creatively about maintaining their urban presence. As a result, firms that offer virtual office plans, such as the Regus Group, are sprouting up across the city.

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Another firm, ManhattanVirtuals.com, advertises an assigned 212 area code phone number as part of its package deal. The traditional New York City code makes companies appear as if they were established in the city before 212 numbers became scarce, the firm’s managing partner, Kareem El-Heneidi, said.

To Ms. O’Connor, the virtual office setup has been a “godsend.” Her business cards advertise her Midtown address, even if her mail ultimately goes to her Putnam Valley home.