Building with a View

toddler mom also has time for tribeca's children

by kerri macdonald

shameeza inshan, 33, has only worked as a concierge at a residential building on murray street in tribeca for a year and a half. right from the beginning though, it felt like home.

"you come in here and you feel the warmth," inshan said. "it's just a great experience."

inshan was hired to fill in for the summer of 2009, but after residents got to know her, they requested that she stay on permanently.

it was a new experience for inshan, who had never worked as a concierge before. it didn't take long before she fell in love with the job.

"i wouldn't want to work anywhere else except here," she said.

inshan was born in guyana and moved with her family to new york when she was three. her mother, who raised six children, was having trouble finding work at home and moved the family to america to start a new life.

inshan got a job of her own at 14, when she began working in a cheesecake bakery that has since gone out of business. "i actually put on a few pounds over there," she said, giggling.

her most recent position, before she started work as a concierge, was as a bookkeeper at a brooklyn ford dealership.

she much prefers her current post. every day, when she gets to work for her 3 p.m. shift, inshan deals with maintenance requests. she helps residents with their dry-cleaning and package deliveries. when keys disappear into the ether, she saves the day.

but despite the tasks before her, there's one thing that stands out about the job: interaction with residents, many of whom are families with young kids and pets.

"the people here just makes it worth my while," she said. "i just want to be here."

her favorite part of the job is interacting with the children. two and a half years ago, she had a baby, a "little doll" named vanessa. "she keeps me on my hands and toes and stuff like that but it's all worth it," said inshan, who stayed home for a year after her daughter was born.

although things at work can be quiet from time to time, especially later in the evenings, there's always something to see from the lobby desk. inshan laughed as she described the doors of the building, which are clear-a hazard to the occasional delivery person.

"they're in a rush to deliver food, so they really don't notice the clean glass," she said, laughing. "they just walk right through."

on top of everything else, she said, the building itself is a draw.

"i was truly, truly lucky to have worked in a building where it's just so tremendously beautiful," she said.

"and i'm not just saying that," she continued. "i mean, i have other friends that work in other buildings and they hate it. i'm like, 'i'm going to work!'"