Now What? How do I turn this in to a new store?
Contemplation – Imagine you are a retailer contemplating this tenant space. Clearly, you might be asking yourself; “now what?” Suppose a few of the questions below move from unconscious reflection to conscious contemplation without ensuing answers, then assessing a project to see what is actually required could facilitate the decision making process and provide many benefits.
Resources – Landlord provided documents, previous project cost summaries, consultations with building departments, contractors, engineers and sometimes professional construction estimators are all resources informing project feasibility. The intent is to simplify, consolidate and summarize the probable scope of work, professional fees, construction costs and time that might be anticipated for a project. It is the purpose of a feasibility assessment and a highly recommended means of beginning most retail projects.
- Do I need to build the walls?
- Do I need to build the bathroom(s)
- Why do I need 2 bathrooms?
- Why do I need 2 entries?
- Do I need to install the storefront system?
- Can I use my own storefront design?
- Do I need to have my own electric meter installed?
- Do I need to install my own Air Conditioning and heating system?
- What is the best mechanical system to use?
- Is there water in the space?
- What about hot water?
- What about gas?
- Where is the sewer?
- How do I connect to it?
- Will my store fit in this space?
- Must I supply my own storefront sign?
- Who will design it?
- Can I design the store myself?
- Can I turn a logo into a store design?
- Where do I get the store fixtures?
- What if I can’t find the exact fixtures that I need to display my products?
- Are custom store fixtures required, if so who will design them?
- What about lighting?
- Who sets up the Point of Sale (POS) system and how do I hide the wires?
- How do I accommodate the cabling and hard wiring for my computers?
- How much can I expect to spend for all this?
- A contractor told me he could build my store for $45/sq. ft. Should I believe him?
- Do I need a building permit?
- What does an architect charge?
- Can I get this done in time to open before I must begin paying rent?
- How do a pick a contractor?
- Is the construction allowance from the landlord enough to build the store?
- Does the location have enough parking?
- What is the visibility from walk and drive by traffic?
- Is this space a good choice for my project?
- If I don’t take this space do I need to start all over with a new feasibility for a different location?
Please feel free start a discussion here and maybe even see some answers.