Although Hillary Rodham Clinton is a former secretary of State, U.S. senator, presidential candidate and first lady, she is currently operating from a Manhattan supply closet.

Her team is literally working in a shared 7-by-10 office that has worked as her base of operations since she left the State Department in early 2013, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The working conditions for a presidential campaign-in-waiting like that of Clinton’s is hardly unusual. Due to the legal restrictions and tactical challenges that come before an official announcement, her position is quite common.

But the confined space, filled with cleaning supplies and piles on piles of papers, will soon yield to a much more suitable environment for one running a presidential campaign.

Clinton is the overwhelming front-runner right now for the Democratic nomination for president. Once she is full up and running, her campaign will occupy a much more efficient two-floor office space in a Brooklyn high-rise.

“That period of time between the decision to run and the moment you stand up an actual operation is awkward, at best,” said Bill Burton, one of the first staffers hired for then-Sen. Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign. “There are certain things that have to get done in order to make the announcement work that don’t all fit in to a perfect time frame. You don’t have a fairy godmother who comes and says, ‘Here’s a lease for your campaign office and an agreement on your phone and Internet service and a staff that’s ready to go.’”

Clinton’s team is working hard to help her return to politics after being heavily scrutinized. On the team is Jen Palmieri, who until recently, was the White House director of communications. Another is Brian Fallon, who left the Justice Department and will be the campaign’s lead public spokesman.

“Anyone who thinks this is glamorous at the start must have walked into the wrong office,” said one un-named future Clinton campaign worker. The staff regularly holds meetings in coffee shops and restaurants nearby.

As soon as she makes her candidacy official, Clinton will have to report all major expenditures acquired during this informal foundational stage. She has passed up having an exploratory committee at this time, but it will benefit her to be able to coordinate with political entities that could possibly support her presidential run.