Just to add onto this, you could also set up shop in the outer boroughs. There are quite a few good startups and design shops out in Brooklyn that are doing good work. Additionally, rent is generally cheaper and apartments are somewhat more accessible in Brooklyn and Queens than it is in Manhattan. I'd take a look in Greenpoint or other places along the west coast of Brooklyn. There's also a pretty strong Irish expat community in Woodside and Sunnyside in Queens along the 7 line, if that matters.