Want a shorter commute?  How about upstairs to downstairs?

Live/work residences are becoming increasingly popular as more and more people start small businesses and look to save expenses.

Though the concept harkens back to days when the corner grocer lived in an apartment above the store, today’s condo hybrids allow professionals, entrepreneurs, artists and others to own a space that’s well-suited to serve both home and work needs.

Live/work residences, such as those at Kai Ani Village, offer modern, at-home work spaces specially designed to meet the needs of professionals and entrepreneurs.  In addition to providing a great street-front, business-building location, they also save the owners fuel and leased office space costs.

There’s little doubt that the live/work concept is growing.

In 2000, U.S. census found nearly 4.2 million people age 16 or older worked at home most days during the week, up from 3.4 million in 1990.  That 23.5% increase over 10 years almost doubled the growth rate of the overall work force.  The Census Bureau’s most recent estimate, made from community surveys conducted in 2003, raised the number of home-based workers to 4.5 million — an increase of slightly more than 7% in only three years.

Live/work residences like those at Kai Ani Village offer prospective buyers a range of possible floor plans to help them visualize possible uses ranging from a contemporary office with reception area to a small retail shop to a service-based small business.

Kai Ani Village’s live/work units offer professionals, such as attorneys, accountants or writers, the opportunity to have offices with separate entrances on the street and their living quarters above.  Plus, the downstairs work space is easily adaptable and accessible from the street level and the garage, making it easy for residents, guests and customers to come and go.

Artists and photographers requiring studio space, salespeople and home-business owners who need a combination of work and living space, are all prime candidates for live/work residences.

One of the most common uses for a live/work space is an artist’s studio.  Artistic endeavors such as sculpture, painting and installations require large workspaces, but the artist may want to live close to the project.  A well-designed live/work space such as those in Kai Ani Village provide artists with both home amenities and the space necessary to create and store finished works securely.

In today’s economy, the number of people looking for new careers makes live/work spaces attractive options for those who may not have considered them before.  A professional who once had an office, and has clients they still need to see, needs dedicated office space, not just a room in their home.  The hybrid units also eliminate the need to lease costly retail space for their business.

In addition, working in a vibrant neighborhood such as Kiehi, Maui, Hawaii gives business owners a new community with new clientele.  The close proximity to other small business owners also offers fresh ideas to grow a business.

But can young professionals, often cited as the likely target market for live-work condos, afford to purchase them?  A study of affordability prepared by The Live/Work Institute, a nonprofit organization in Oakland, Calif., says yes.

An owner of a live/work unit saves money by not paying separate rents for living space and work space, as well as reducing transportation costs, according to the institute.

And with sustainable living becoming more in vogue, and with gas prices not expected to drop substantially, experts say live/work units will only grow in popularity because they combine personal living space and professional workspace in such a way that neither is compromised.