Commercial real estate for retail and logistics

Find the space your brand needs to sell, store and ship

Plain-language guides to storefronts, warehouses, fulfillment space and distribution centers — how each format works, what it costs to run and what to check before you sign a lease.

Line drawing of a distribution warehouse with loading docks next to a retail shopping center

How to find commercial space

A good site search follows the business, not the listing. Before touring a single property, work through these four stages in order — each one narrows the field and keeps you from paying for space you will not use.

Browse site-search guides
  1. Define how you sell and ship

    Walk-in retail, online-only fulfillment or a hybrid model each need a different footprint, ceiling height and customer access.

  2. Map customers and carriers

    Storefronts follow foot traffic and visibility; warehouses follow highway access, labor pools and the reach of last-mile delivery.

  3. Shortlist and inspect

    Check zoning and permitted use, clear height, dock doors, floor load, power capacity, frontage and parking against your list.

  4. Read the lease before you sign

    Term, rent escalations, shared operating costs, renewal options and expansion rights shape the real cost of the space.

Latest articles

All Space Guides

How to Evaluate a Warehouse for E-Commerce Fulfillment

When I outgrew my spare‑room setup, I thought finding cheap square footage was the goal. I was wrong. A warehouse for e‑commerce fulfillment is an operational hub that directly shapes shipping speed, order accuracy, labor costs, and your ability to scale without daily chaos. It’s not just a lease—it’s the backbone of your customer experience. […]

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3PL Pricing Models Explained for E-Commerce Brands

Когда я только начинал, весь фулфилмент помещался в свободной спальне. Стеллажи, коробки, термопринтер — и я сам бегал на почту. Рост заставил сначала арендовать небольшой склад, а потом и вовсе передать логистику стороннему оператору. Именно тогда я понял: настоящая стоимость обработки заказов определяется не только тарифами 3PL, но и тем, как устроено физическое пространство — склады, распределительные […]

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Warehouse vs. Fulfillment Center: What Online Sellers Need to Know

Для большинства онлайн-продавцов вопрос не сводится к тому, где просто хранить товар. Речь о скорости движения запасов, частоте отгрузок и уровне операционного контроля, который вы хотите сохранить за собой. Склад в первую очередь заточен под хранение, а фулфилмент-центр — это конвейер, где товар принимают, подбирают, упаковывают, отправляют и, как правило, обрабатывают возвраты в едином потоке. […]

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Space by the numbers

6

property formats covered, from street-level shops to fulfillment hubs

4

stages in a well-run site search, from business model to signed lease

3

core lease structures explained: gross, net and modified gross

32 ft

a common minimum clear height in modern distribution buildings

Explore by property type

Pick the format closest to your plans and start with the guides written for it.