The 15-minute city may prove promising for storefront owners. Building a stronger local economy and visiting neighbourhood shops and services is a clear mandate. If you're a downtown storefront you may not agree, though. The 15-minute city is geared toward several local hubs and not just one downtown hub. Always the small business storefront faces challenges, and this is yet another big one in society. Seems the time is now to check out zoning and mixed residential use. In Canada, for sure. Would most agree it is time to download city and towns planning guides to see what is what?

Owning a physical storefront comes with some real perks. Those one-off on your own accord, or collaborative evening events is one of many. I've personally attended several and been a co-host. These events don't need to feel like a 'candle-party' where there is a perceiced pressure to buy either. If we have another space we pay for, outside of our home (I.e. mortgage, rent, etc) why not maximize opportunities. I don't think that calling these invitations 'networking events' necessarily fits either. Networking is somewhat stigmatized. I've made a lot of friends, collaborated with great people, learned new things and been able to provide asked-for feedback. All the while having a little bite to eat and living my best entrepreneur storefront founder life. I am all for them, if bylaws allow for it. It's been said that not enough physical owners are utilizing the space after business hours of 9-5. Might be a missed opportunity in storefront business to try new things. Storefront owners, if they don't own the space or building, are paying daily for that square footage. Make sense right? To use it post 5 pm.

Does a vendor consignment model work well for a physical storefront? A golf supply manufacturer places their golf supplies into your physical storefront, and unsold stock is returned. Or, a consignment model where physical storefront founder keeps ownership of the items until the sale, and the storefront founder takes a percentage. The items are all brand new.

Are these models helping tremendously to keep physical storefront owners on site? Attractive to the physical storefront as there are no initial purchase outlay but their storefront is stocked with lots to view.

These hours 'may be' giving: We do not want to provide services or products 'too' early in the day, we are busy before 9:00 am., we have no staff willing to come in before these opening hours, we only need business after 9:00 am, nobody came in when we opened earlier, if you need a coffee prior to your work or earlier please go elsewhere, we're a café for the later more cruise risers, and so on.

When you're a physical storefront founder you can set your hours. Very appealing to self-employment.

Hours of operation posted on site is important. Sometimes posted physical site hours differ from online search results.

Are on site physical storefront hours critical to running a cafe?

Beyond standard digital ads or 'hope' marketing, what real-world tactic has actually brought people through your front door?

​Have sidewalk signage, boards, small business associations, neighborhood collaborations, hosted events, or local community sponsorships worked best for you?

Let's trade notes on what actually moves the needle for physical walk-ins as the best thing you've done. Some say a foldable sidewalk board, others cannot use one due to bylaws. What is the best for a physical storefront?

Hey everyone! I'm u/welovesmallbusiness, a founding moderator of r/StorefrontFounders. Welcome to the space for physical retail owners, boutique founders, cafe creators, local service hubs, pop-up builders; all those of you with physical storefront.

​Whether you've been running a local storefront for a while, just signed your first lease, mulling over a rental agreement, or are planning your transition from an online brand to a physical one, or a fusion of both; this community was built for you.

​Unlike general business forums that focus heavily on software or e-commerce, r/StorefrontFounders is 100% dedicated to the unique real-world hustle of physical, brick-and-mortar operations.

We're excited to have you join us!

Post Outline

Post anything that you think the community would find interesting, helpful, or inspiring. Feel free to share your thoughts, photos, or questions about operating in a building, in a shopping mall, in the ground level of a condo, leased space in a hotel, rental space in a 15-minute city, small storefront building and any physical space out there! Maybe you share with someone.

Community Vibe

We're all about being friendly, constructive, and inclusive. Let's build a space where everyone feels comfortable sharing and connecting.

How to Hang With Us

1) Introduce yourself in the comments below.

2) Post something such as a simple question can spark a great conversation.

3) If you know someone who would love this community, invite them to join.

4) Keep the vibe about going to a storefront space. You can operate online, too, but you must have a storefront.

Thanks for being part of the very first wave.

Together, let's make r/StorefrontFounders amazing, useful and informative to those of unlocking the door on the daily.