If you are finding conventional retail lease space to be too expensive for you, perhaps this article will give you some ideas which may resonate with you and put you on the path to opening your retail store. These are unusual times in business, and sometimes that calls for unusual approaches.
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Okay, then, let’s think outside the box for retail lease space.
Retail lease space in shipping containers.
Our first suggestion is to take a look at the world of shipping container construction. At Box Office Warehouse Suites, in the Alliance Area of North Fort Worth, you will find a business park constructed of refurbished shipping contains. The whole area is professionally designed, each container offers 320 square feet of retail space, and they are very affordable. Because the containers are inexpensive, and the retrofitting less expensive than traditional construction, the savings are passed on to you, the business owner. Now, Box Office Warehouse Suites is a Fort Worth location, but chances are excellent that something similar is available in your city, or near where you live. It then becomes a matter of zoning, what is allowed and what is not allowed. But it is certainly worth looking into.
Shared space.
We have seen this concept of shared retail space work in other cities. The idea is to take existing retail space for lease and divide it into two retail shops; in other words, one lease payment shared by two companies. Ideally, the two “shops” would be complimentary, as in a candy shop next to an ice cream shop, or a clothing store next to a shoe store. Put your thinking cap on and see if this would work for your retail company.
Retail space on wheels.
Again, this idea will require some flexible zoning and obtaining permits, but it is not unusual, in the larger cities, to see small retail businesses on wheels, as in tiny homes on trailers, that sort of thing. These retail shops are then either set in place, on a lot, for a long-term rent, or are constantly on the move, from place to place, to take advantage of traffic flow and perhaps special events in different parts of the city. This is no different, really, from the kiosks you find in shopping malls, or the food trucks you see sprinkled throughout most cities. It represents a huge savings on rent, and it offers a creative option which can easily take advantage of the changing scene in a city. The cost of buying one of these mobile “shops” might be a bit expensive, but that initial sticker shock will be absorbed in the following months by smaller monthly “lease “payments.
Do any of these ideas work for you? Perhaps not, but hopefully they will provide you with the motivation to continue looking at creative solutions to the problems inherent in today’s economy.
A final word about RDS Real Estate.
RDS Real Estate is locally owned and operated with over three million square feet of traditional, and non-traditional, industrial property for rent and commercial property for lease. Call us and find out what great service really looks like.