Commercial location vs home page based shop

[shakey0818]

Here is my old commercial location in a very busy area. I was lucky to get 1 or 2 walk ins a week. Wasn't worth the $1200 a month rent. I guess I was doing something wrong, and i was there for only 6 months. You can see i also had a 5 foot wide EMC in the window on the right)
Across the street were to big malls. and the main rd had every kind of business and restaurant imaginable! Also two highways were less than a 1/4 mile from the shop. Interstate 95, and 295

(the sign with no face was for the first floor. eventually a flooring company moved in)

I drove by your shop many times but the signs being on the second floor was kinda confusing,and the lack of parking was tough.That intersection is wicked busy.If you were were the tuxedo place or where subway is it would have more accessible and convenient for people to just stop in.You will probably do better in your current location as long as you advertise.I will definitely i need some signs subbed out.

 

[tattoo.dan]

I started off wanting to be home based. Makes sense, save money on utilities, insurance....everything.....well 4 years later and 5 employees, there is no way what I am doing now could be done from home. Although I did just buy and 12k sq ft building downtown and moved my shop on the 1st floor and am seriously considering turning the upstairs into a nice 6k sq ft "apartment"! I hate paying double the bills!!!!

 

[401Graphics]

I drove by your shop many times but the signs being on the second floor was kinda confusing,and the lack of parking was tough.That intersection is wicked busy.If you were were the tuxedo place or where subway is it would have more accessible and convenient for people to just stop in.You will probably do better in your current location as long as you advertise.I will definitely i need some signs subbed out.

Yes getting to my shop during rush hours was a pain because idiots would block the street the shop was on (the parking lot side). I would constantly hear horns beeping like it was NY city because of idiots blocking the street. I also had a problem with people using my parking lot in the morning to go to dunkin donuts, at one point i was putting warning stickers on peoples cars saying they would get towed if they kept doing it. This is why i didnt feel bad for using dunkin's internet and dumpster, since i was giving their customers a place to park, and to throw their trash on the ground from their cars.

My current location is off a main rd, but next door to me is industrial zoned so its not totally out of place. But def harder to get to since the highway is 10 min down the street, instead of 10 seconds like the warwick location.


Sorry if I'm being a

 

[ProColorGraphics]

I would love to be a home based business again. I think it would be harder to go back after you have a retail spot. I have definitely considered it as I don't get hardly any walk in customers. I'm a night owl, but hate being down here and all night, when I get most of my work done. It's a delicate balance, that's for sure. But if I had employees, I don't think it would work very good at all working from home.

 

[4R Graphics]

It all comes down to money simple as that.

Personally I would build the home shop (only after making sure and getting it in writting that you will be covered insurance wise) you will have a smaller overhead every month and if you grown and need to move you can always go to a retail space but not until you have to.

You really need a dedicated line for your home base and dont answer the phone after closing time.

NEVER see clients who show up after hours ever.

If you do these things it should be fine and hey there is no law that says in 2 years you cant move. You can always move if your business needs change.

Good luck.

 

[WildWestDesigns]

NEVER see clients who show up after hours ever.

Depending on where you are located, that may not even be an option. To be legit and home based here, you can't have customers at your house and you can't have signage outside the house that tells people that you have a business there and they are very strict about that. Moreso, if you are in a sub-division.

I have digitized for a lot of home based "shops" in the area (and boy are there are a lot of them) and they do complain about that fact of not being able to have customers and no signage outside.

 

[Kottwitz-Graphics]

I have a shop on the back side of my property, that has it's own parking area, accessable from a completely different road than my house (The garage faces the back alley, whereas my house is on a main road).

I don't have hours posted, but I don't get a lot of walk in traffic. Most people call me prior to showing up, but a lot of times I will go to them.

I have insurance and licenses, and they do cover my equipment (I had a lightening strike several years ago, and they paid out enough for me to get a new computer and plotter). The town that I'm in has reg's on home based businesses, specifically about spraying paint, and some on signage, but it's not really forced. I did get a warning letter about painting several years ago (mainly because someone was building a house across from me, and they were planning on reselling it, and they were trying to stop anything that would hurt resell values)... And my sign that I have is a sign cabinet (that isn't lit) that is several times larger than the town allows, but again that isn't enforced.

More than 95% of my business is customer referal.

 

[TyrantDesigner]

Commercial shops are great, but as others have stated ... come with a unique set of issues. One being overhead, almost every utility for a commercial store front is higher ... Just the breaks. Next being your location, some locations are great for customers to visit you, but not really businesses, some are great for businesses but you lose normal retail customers. The next is survivability, how do you get your name out there past the work you are doing and hoping someone name drops you (word of mouth advertising) or trying to ticket an area with guerilla marketing (yard signs, brochures, etc)? ... you may have to have an outside sales person just to get foot on ground for you.

Home based is a different set of issues, more personal foot traffic, slower sales, zoning restrictions, neighbors hating your noise you produce, etc, etc, etc. But ... overhead is drastically different. You can share your internet with your house, go almost completely mobile with a dedicated cell line, etc etc etc.

I personally dislike commercial locations ... but that is because of how the market is at the moment ... plenty enough work to go around ... it's just getting redonkulous with the zoning reqs on new signage, the customer flow of areas is odd, and even though there are constant start ups in town to get graphics/signs/awesomeness/whatever done ... the customer perceived value does not cost expectancy.

That being said, I'm in the process of starting up my own shop again ... pretty unavoidable really. But the way I will probably do it will be based out of my garage (a seperated building with it's own breaker so I can technically put a second meter on it for tax sake.) which I can do larger graphics in, and sign production and have a small mobile graphics unit out of a trailer for onsite graphics production and install ... nothing big, maybe a small desktop sized prismjet from signwarehouse and a plotter to match ... hey ... it's perfect for a trailer, don't be a judgy pants mcgee.

The way I see it in your question OP ... look at long term projections ... with a retail space, it's a monthly payment and if location sucks or clientel moves ... you can't change it for what 6months to 2 years at a time? ... ouch. build on your property, 5 years it's paid off ... if you still want a retail shop ... look into it then ... you always have something to fall back on if the retail shop eats it like a bag of monkeys.

 

[TyrantDesigner]

Depending on where you are located, that may not even be an option. To be legit and home based here, you can't have customers at your house and you can't have signage outside the house that tells people that you have a business there and they are very strict about that. Moreso, if you are in a sub-division.

I have digitized for a lot of home based "shops" in the area (and boy are there are a lot of them) and they do complain about that fact of not being able to have customers and no signage outside.

Same in this area, though I wouldn't complain about it ... just means you need to beat feet more in the area and do more onsite installs of graphics. I guess that is one nice thing about Amarillo, city is basically a 10 mile by 10 mile square. most everything else is all on the major highways bisecting the city.

 

[401Graphics]

If you cant have signage outside your house then just get a van and wrap it or letter it and park it out front. thats what a lot of business do around here when they cant get permits to put signage up near streets. You usually see a old u-haul truck wrapped and parked near the road.

 

[WildWestDesigns]

If you cant have signage outside your house then just get a van and wrap it or letter it and park it out front. thats what a lot of business do around here when they cant get permits to put signage up near streets. You usually see a old u-haul truck wrapped and parked near the road.

That's actually a no-no here as well.

Tyrent,they have some messed up notions of this business as it is. I blame Brother for this as they are the biggest spearhead for the home market getting into business. I like and use a lot of their machines, but I hate what they did to the market.

 

[showcase 66]

I work from a detached 2 car garage on my property. We can have up to a 4 SF sign on a home with in the city limits. I can have customers come and go only during normal business hours 8-5 during the week and no earlier than 9 on Saturday or Sundays. My neighbors dont mind at all either. I can do pretty much anything here for vehicles as long as they are not commercial vehicles. Big Rigs and things like that are not allowed.

However the property next to me is commercial and has a 3 bay metal garage with the center bay tall enough for a big RV. The owner of the property lets me rent out the garage space when I need it for any larger trucks. Usually wants $50 each time I need it which is usually only 2-3 times a month. No big deal.

The other good thing for me is that he lets me use his address for deliveries. So I get commercial shipping rates instead of residential rates. I can have something ship UPS to me at the house and it cost 12.50 and the the property next to me and only cost 8.70. and it will arrive earlier than it would to my home.

I keep toying with the idea of a commercial place but with what I do right now, I really dont need to. Now if I could talk my neighbor into renting his building to me, then I will probably do it. He offered 2 bays and the office space to me about a year ago when we moved into this house but I didnt do it. Now he has rented the office part out and one bay for storage for someone. When they leave I may hit him up on his offer.

Right now, I like the setup I have, but its not for everyone. Gino has a lot of good points about not being able to do everything you would like to do or need to do at home but if you plan on staying within your ability at the house, then it can work out great for you.

 

[KentoSign]

You might not want the customers to come to your house anytime they like and break your family privacy. If renting a commercial unit is way higher cost for you, considering getting a 3rd floor shop lot unit instead of renting the ground unit for sign display premise and save money from buying machines and printers. You can be a sign designer and help your clients plan and design their signage and let them know your factory or workshop is located at other place ( which can be your long-term supplier's premise..if he doesn't mind you say it's part of your's of cos..all based on your relationship with him) When you have enough money to back you up for months to a year and with sufficient amount of prospecting leads then you might be confident to run the show on the ground unit at strategic location where your shop is exposes to good traffics of passers. A good plan is always right before any jump starts out of excitement and enthusiasm.
Cheers!
Ken
KentoSign

 

[mopar691]

I kind of did the opposite. I bought a very large commercial building and got a variance on a small 1800 sq ft section of this building for living quarters. All accessible from the back side and completely separated from any of the shop areas.

Went thru a divorce about 2 years ago, son left for college so I figured at the time seemed like the best route to go to keep my overhead manageable.

 

[VolunteerSign]

That's actually a no-no here as well.

EVERYTHING's a no-no in Franklin lol. I think I saw that chain link fences are their latest target. I honestly don't see how anyone doesn't have high blood pressure living down there Wild.

 

[WildWestDesigns]

EVERYTHING's a no-no in Franklin lol. I think I saw that chain link fences are their latest target. I honestly don't see how anyone doesn't have high blood pressure living down there Wild.

It's gotten bad that's for sure since more and more people have gotten in around here. When I first moved here in 94 there was hardly anything around here. Now there are 3 sub-divisions that surround the horse pastures.

 

[401Graphics]

I just heard a radio ad for a used gown store that is now in my old shop location.

 

[Jim Doggett]

Commercial shops are great, but as others have stated ... come with a unique set of issues. One being overhead, almost every utility for a commercial store front is higher ... Just the breaks. Next being your location, some locations are great for customers to visit you, but not really businesses, some are great for businesses but you lose normal retail customers. The next is survivability, how do you get your name out there past the work you are doing and hoping someone name drops you (word of mouth advertising) or trying to ticket an area with guerilla marketing (yard signs, brochures, etc)? ... you may have to have an outside sales person just to get foot on ground for you.

Home based is a different set of issues, more personal foot traffic, slower sales, zoning restrictions, neighbors hating your noise you produce, etc, etc, etc. But ... overhead is drastically different. You can share your internet with your house, go almost completely mobile with a dedicated cell line, etc etc etc.

I personally dislike commercial locations ... but that is because of how the market is at the moment ... plenty enough work to go around ... it's just getting redonkulous with the zoning reqs on new signage, the customer flow of areas is odd, and even though there are constant start ups in town to get graphics/signs/awesomeness/whatever done ... the customer perceived value does not cost expectancy.

That being said, I'm in the process of starting up my own shop again ... pretty unavoidable really. But the way I will probably do it will be based out of my garage (a seperated building with it's own breaker so I can technically put a second meter on it for tax sake.) which I can do larger graphics in, and sign production and have a small mobile graphics unit out of a trailer for onsite graphics production and install ... nothing big, maybe a small desktop sized prismjet from signwarehouse and a plotter to match ... hey ... it's perfect for a trailer, don't be a judgy pants mcgee.

The way I see it in your question OP ... look at long term projections ... with a retail space, it's a monthly payment and if location sucks or clientel moves ... you can't change it for what 6months to 2 years at a time? ... ouch. build on your property, 5 years it's paid off ... if you still want a retail shop ... look into it then ... you always have something to fall back on if the retail shop eats it like a bag of monkeys.

Overhead is an issue, if it's beyond your reach, obviously. If so, the decision to be home-based is self-made.

However, if it's in the budget, a retail location provides you the very same advantage you're selling to your customers: market presence, and reaching out to all passers-by. In short, you'll get the superior marketing value in all of advertising: A sign!!! Heck; lots of them. And it'll get you business that you would not get otherwise.

JMO,

Jim / SignWarehouse

 

[thinksigns]

As my lease comes to an end in a few years, I will at least be considering moving to a home based business. I would say that of my 10 biggest customers, only 3 actually come to the store to place or pick up orders.