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Opening a store inside a werehouse

by MarieM, Window Shopper

  • Created: November 4, 2009, 4:37 pm
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4 comments

I work in a pen manufacturing werehouse in Reno, NV. My boss is wanting to open up a small store to sell all the pens and other products we make. It would in inside the werehouse in one of the small rooms in the front. We already have a business license, retail license and an Employer ID Number.  I'm not sure if we are zoned to have a store but we were thinking of calling it a show room instead. Just making it a place to show off everything we make and if a customer wants to order and buy a product they can.  Would we need any extra licenses for this? Are there any laws we need to follow?

 

Thank you for your help!

Tags: Discuss Popular Topics, Starting & Registering a Business
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ChristineL | Former Moderator | 11/11/2009 - 10:43 am

Thank you everyone for piping in with such good information! MarieM- If you're not sure about the zoning laws in your area, you may want to read our Business Location and Zoning Guide. If you want to locate office space, you can check out Nevada's state economic development agency. I plugged your information into our Permit Me Tool, and it generated this list of licenses you need in NV. Feel free to ask more questions and remember to let us know how your new business goes!

woodencrates | Creator | 11/10/2009 - 2:35 pm

I would be your 3rd vote for going online instead. In my case,TWICE, in two different industries, I had a commercial business and decided I was in a great location to make a small retail front end to make some extra cash. The first one ended up being a waste of money because nobody walked in and the second one was a big hit, but not big enough to offset the lost, much larger commercial sales that we were ignoring while someone walked in to window shop. In general, I don't think that commercial and retail mix well.
Professional Web Site: http://www.woodencrates.org

phanio | Contributor | 11/10/2009 - 10:52 am

Not sure if you need a license - contact you Secretary of State's office or find a local SBDC who can help you for free. My question is: Do you have the traffic for a retail operation? Are you in a destination area? You might think about going online with your retail business. Target more people this way.
Professional Web Site: http://www.businessmoneytoday.com/

BizResearcher | Window Shopper | 11/10/2009 - 12:00 pm

Opening a showroom might be of interest to some of your customers, particularly if you include a factory tour or some other feature. If your purpose in opening the store is to increase sales, I agree with the previous poster that a web site may be a better way to do that.