Ideas for Commercial First Floor in South Philly Duplex?

[Mike Girard]

It looks like I'm close to having my first property (woo hoo!), a duplex in Newbold that has a variance for a commercial first floor. It's set up to rent out as a large studio apartment, but I kind of like the idea of a business tenant that pays higher rent and doesn't stay the night.

Is this something a new investor shouldn't even attempt? If not, got any good ideas of what to do with a first floor that's about 900 sq. ft? It's in  a good spot on a busy, mixed use street and would be ideal for a number of business rentals: office space for small business, tax accountancy, artist studio, real estate office, small co-working community, coin laundry. My preference would be to figure out what I want it to be -- office? studio? -- and renovate it accordingly, then seek the proper tenant. I don't want to be a kind of de facto partner of a tenant that needs the place completely reworked. I want simplicity akin to what I would get from a solid residential tenant. 

Would love some feedback, even if its only a resounding "DON'T DO IT!"