If you've ever called the number on a "For Lease" sign, we're guessing the conversation you had was pretty confusing.

Maybe it went a little something like this...

You: "Hi, I was calling to get some information on the store I saw on Main Street that's empty, next to the flower shop?"

Mystery broker (let's call him "Kevin"): "OK?"

You: "Um, yeah, well, is it available?"

Kevin: "Yeah."

You: "Uhh, OK, how much is the rent?"

Kevin: "It's $40 a foot."

You: "Oh, OK...how much is it per month?"

Kevin: "Well, it's $40 a foot plus triple nets and it's about 2,000 square feet. Can you send me your business plan?"

You: "Wait - I'm not even sure if I'm interested, I don't understand how much ...

Most of the time, our first conversation with a prospective Pedal Retailer makes them very happy. They’re happy (or at least relieved) to hear that (a) they can do what they’re dreaming of doing, and (b) we can help them do it. But without fail, we eventually make our way to the topic that triggers the cortisol...

We always manage to upset people when we answer the question, “so how long is this going to take?”

Since we’re committed to “real talk, always,” we’re honest with our clients about the realistic timeframe to opening a bricks-and-mortar business. We explain that the process takes anywhere from six to 18 months, and that seems to be about six to 18 months longer than they wer...

We talk often about why business plans are essential to providing you the information required to find the right space and right deal. But like many things in our TikTok-attention-span world, the style and appearance of your business plan are going to do a lot of the heavy lifting.

If we're really being honest, not many people are going to read your entire business plan. My mom will, and she'll happily point out every grammatical error, but she's not your target audience. Anyone who you need to say "yes!" to your business plan is most likely going to skim your plan and read only the sections they're most interested in.

This means that your plan has to land on desks (or inboxes) and m...

 If you had a burning rash on your face, would you really need to see a dermatologist? Well, it really depends on your tolerance for DIY solutions. You can use WebMD and YouTube and try to diagnose and remedy your affliction, but a burning rash on your face sounds pretty painful and gross, so you’d probably call an expert. 

Yes. Yes. 1000% yes. Leases are not exactly rashes, but they can certainly be painful and lead to (emotional and financial) disfigurement if not properly handled. We say this all the time, but once more for the crowd in the back…leases are five to ten year legally binding contracts. Also, they are written in Legalese, which is a foreign language to those of us whose lega...

Why do so many new and growing businesses make bad decisions when it comes to signing a lease? I went to the wise oracle at Delphi — just kidding, I went to the internet — to learn what (as scientifically as possible) makes a good decision.

Scholarly-ish articles and graphics on the internet repeat similar concepts of the elements deemed essential to the process of making a “good” decision. It struck me over and over again how painfully absent many of these are for people seeking to sign their first…or even second or third lease. Here's what I found...

There are the four main pillars of good decision making:

Define Goals - What exactly do I want/need?
Uncover Alternatives - What are ...

We've got some thoughts on searching for the "one" perfect retail space, and why the entire premise is misguided and potentially derailing.

We've all seen fictionalized accounts of a lovelorn someone searching for the "perfect" partner. You know the ones -- we watch as the protagonist goes on an endless string of first and second dates, only to determine that no suitor is right, much to the frustration of their friends and family who keep urging them to stop being so picky. Like Molly's friends and family in Insecure before things got serious with Taurean.

Is this entire concept pretty antiquated and ridiculous? Yes. Is it relevant to retail real estate? Also, yes.

You see, ...

Yurt, studio-apartment, mansion, mid-century split level…whatever. Most of us are lucky enough to have somewhere to call home. 🏠 That means that everyone comes to the table with a varying level of real estate knowledge. Have you rented an apartment? Bought a house? Binge watched House Hunters on HGTV (who hasn’t?) If that’s the case, you’ve brushed up against the residential real estate world.

So many people who come to us eager to start a business want to transpose their residential knowledge into this new commercial context.

I'm here today to break down why you should leave your residential baggage at home when searching for retail space.

Here are a few of the biggies we hear a...