Creative Storage Solutions For Shopkeepers On A Budget
Do you have a great idea for a retail shop? Have you been looking at storefronts but none of them seem like they will work? When you're just starting out and have little capital, it can be frustrating to be unable to rent a shop that you think is the appropriate size. Fortunately, it is possible to get around your money limitations if you simply think creatively. Here are some ideas to help you get started:
Storage unit: Per square foot, renting from any of the nearby storage facilities is likely to be significantly cheaper than renting a store. Instead of wasting money on a back room for your additional inventory, you could have one or more units at the nearest storage facilities. This could allow you to rent a smaller commercial store area, devote more of the floorspace to the products that you're selling, and still spend less every month than you would on a store with built-in storage areas. Depending on the price of the storage units, you may want to have one for inventory that you stock year-round and one for seasonal merchandise. Contact a facility like Belmont Self Storage for more info.
Storage shelves: Within the average store, there is still a lot of wasted space that you could be taking advantage of. While most of your excess inventory may be kept in local storage facilities, you may want to have more of your biggest sellers on-hand at all times. Instead of a basic table display, you could have the bottom of the table enclosed to conceal the storage of excess boxes. If you're handy with tools or know someone who is handy with tools, you could have short pedestals built for your regular shelves to sit atop. Instead of having your bottom-most shelves at almost floor level, this shelf would be raised by about a foot or so, depending on your needs. Without sacrificing any visible space, you could be hiding extra boxes beneath your displayed merchandise.
Ceiling storage: If your potential shop has a drop ceiling, it might be possible for you to store an excess lightweight box or two above the ceiling. The framework is often built to support the weight of several fully grown humans, so a box or two should be little problem. But before you make plans to do this, make sure to ask your potential landlord or property manager if it's okay. You don't want to be held liable for any damage caused by the framework being unable to support the weight that you put on it.