Dear Pedal,

There is a space in my neighborhood that has been vacant for, no joke, probably four years at this point. Definitely since before the pandemic. Season after season I watch the “For Lease” signs in the window fade and age, and it doesn’t look like there’s anything happening.

So, my question is this – why wouldn’t the landlord lower the rent to make the space attractive rather than just let it continue to sit vacant? It is seriously killing me… this space could be the home to some awesome local business instead of the nothing/ eyesore it currently is.

Yours truly,

Thoughtful Neighbor

Well, hi, Neighbor, and thanks for your excellent question. Here at Pedal, we get differ...

It’s that time again. Whether you love or loathe the holidays (it’s probably a mix), we’re all about to pull out our wallets and buy stuff out of tradition, love, and obligation. This is, of course, the perfect time to put our money where our mouths are and support the small, independent businesses we so value.

Let’s take a moment to consider “Black Friday” for a second. You remember why it’s called “black,” right? November and December are the months when many retail businesses are most profitable, and their bottom line numbers appear in black (rather than red) on their P&L reports. 

While the big “doorbuster” deals at giant national retailers like Best Buy and Walmart really put Bl...

You know how the saying goes...

💯 Good

⏱️ Fast

🤑 Cheap



You can pick two.

The internet is undecided (shocker!) about the original attribution of the phrase we’ve all heard in some form or another. While we might not know who first spoke this into office decor legend, we know that it’s true…especially when it comes to retail real estate.

💯 + 🤑

Looking for a good space that’s also cheap? It won’t come fast, because spaces like this are hard to find, and negotiations take a long time. 

🤑 + ⏱️

Looking for a cheap space that lets you open up shop next month? You’re not going to get a good spot in a prime retail area.

💯 + ⏱️

Looking for a good retail space that lets y...

If I had a dollar for every time an aspiring retailer told me they didn’t have their startup budget solidified because “it’s impossible to know until I find the right space,” I’d probably have a downpayment on a vacation home.


Nailing down a budget for a retail space feels impossible if you’ve never rented a space before, but here’s a pro tip: 

✨ The space does not determine your budget – your budget determines the space. ✨


Imagine if I called my residential realtor and said that I was in the market for a new home. And when she asked me for my budget, I responded, “well, I really don’t know yet because it all depends on the space.” 

💸 Should she show me a $4M historic home tha...

It’s been the summer of capital budgets over here. Some clients are deep in the throes of business planning, and some are plotting expansions and relocations. But in all cases, creating the Capital Budget* is among the non-negotiable first steps.

Most of our clients come to us with an existing "how much is this gonna cost me" budget; some are pretty thorough, and some not so much, but when we take what they’ve got, stick it into our Capital Budget framework and work with them to fill in all the missing line items, one thing is true across the board…

Everyone underestimates how much it’s going to cost to get open.

Why is this the case? I’m not a licensed psychologist, but I do pla...

I’ll say it – everyone loves to hate lawyers. They’re right up there with telemarketers and politicians on the list of most maligned professionals, and when you’re scraping together the cash to fund your Capital Budget, legal fees get a lot of scrutiny. And we get it – every dollar counts!

You cannot forgo an attorney for your lease. This has been the subject of numerous other newsletters, and it’s a requirement in our First Location Program. (Don’t believe me? Reply to this email and we’ll happily tell you why.)

You CAN manage your legal fees, but here’s the thing - most people actually do it wrong and end up i) spending more, ii) getting a worse lease, or iii) both. In many situati...

Every so often we hear from clients concerns along the lines of, "so-and-so told me that NO ONE will invest in my business until I have a signed lease."

And every time we hear that, the alarms start ringing in our brains. Here's why...

1. There are very few (if any) things in life that "NO ONE" will do. People regularly compete in hot dog eating contests. People have tigers for pets. People get married for the seventh time. You should automatically be skeptical of claims about what "everyone" or "no one" will do. Listen to what the person is telling you, but stay calm, and don't let those claims psych you out or have you thinking that there is only one way to do something. This advice appl...