Suburban Stand-Alone Building
(Average National Rent: $20.65 per square foot)
If you are considering a suburban stand-alone store, your product has to be strong enough to attract customers. Like storefronts, suburban stand-alone stores are more dependent on a local customer base and destination shoppers, Morgan says. Stand-alones do best if they are located near a major highway or mall and within the vicinity of other stores that sell complimentary products and services so that the store will benefit from their cross traffic, says Wright.
The benefit of this location is that initial rents are lower and tenants will have more control over their space, says Consolo. There is usually more parking, which can be both an advantage and a disadvantage for suburban store owners. Parking is almost essential for stores that sell goods, like furniture or electronics that can’t be carried home in a shopping bag. However, depending on the terms of the lease, the business owners could be responsible for the maintenance and upkeep to the parking lot.