Outfitting a Business without Breaking the Bank

About this time last year, I remember stepping into a newly-opened family business.  My first thought was, "Look at that slate tile on the wall. The food here must be really good." My second thought, which came right on the heels of the first one, was, "I wonder if they'll still be open this time next year?"

They're not.

Why?  I don't think my local cafe had enough in their rainy day fund to get them fully off the ground. Businesses often take 5 years to become self-sustaining. Most new businesses that fail don't fail because they have a bad product or a bad business model. They fail because they don't have enough cash to see them through the rough patches and dry spells that occur in those first 5 years.

This makes it absolutely critical that you do not overspend outfitting your new business.



One of your best possible sources for equipment will be other businesses that have decided to close their doors. It's one of the best ways to get retail displays. However, going-out-of-business sales can't always be relied upon, and they don't always have everything you need.

Although you might be thinking that Craigslist or even ebay is the next best stop, I recommend finding your local Habitat for Humanity ReStore. It's often over-looked as a source of material, and it requires a bit of effort to search through them, but it can be an absolute treasure-trove.

Let me show you some gems I encountered on a recent visit to my local ReStore:

These brand new picnic tables were sitting right outside. Although your business may not require a picnic table, I'm starting off with these because I know you can get this style of table from Uline.com for $179 + shipping (or $150 each + shipping if you buy three or more.) Buying the same picnic tables at full retail price would cost quite a bit more. These were marked at $99 each, so about 45% off the price of an already-reasonable online supplier (even more if you include shipping in the calculations). Most of the rest of the prices inside the ReStores are priced along similar lines, so it can be a good deal.

These Georgia-Pacific paper towel and toilet paper holders are definitely not intended for home use, so if you were thinking the ReStore is only good for prospective homeowners, forget it.

Are you going to have a break room? Or a small corner to store or warm up food? The ReStore has quite a few appliances, including microwaves, refrigerators, ovens, and cooktops. You could, of course, snag an appliance off of craigslist as well. Oh, and one more tip: if you need to move a refrigerator, you can lay it flat to move it IF (and only if) you wait AT LEAST 24 hours after you set it back upright before you plug it in - the refrigerator needs time for the coolant to settle back down where it's supposed to be.

 

Assuming you don't need a lot (of any one particular color or pattern), the ReStore has quite a few tiles of various kinds - everything from vinyl to ceramic. There were even some half-used bags of thinset mortar available for sale. (Though I'd want to check to make sure it's not lumpy from being stored with too much humidity before I'd buy any mortar.) There may not be enough of a single color for what you need, but ceramic tile in particular is expensive, so you might be able to use at least some of what is at the ReStore if you get creative. Here are some ideas:

• Mix two colors in a pattern. Checkerboards, stripes, etc. If you don't have enough tiles in a single color, you might be able to do it using two. 
• Create a border. It looks intentional and classy, but it's a great way to use a small lot of tile while reducing the amount needed for the main part of the floor. 
• Designate walkways with a different color.
• Use a tile to write information on as a part of your signage. It's really popular to add vinyl decals to ceramic tiles for home decor, but you could definitely use it in a retail setting too. 

If you're going to mix tile patterns, do pay attention to the tile thicknesses. Some are thicker than others. Wall tiles can only be used on walls, but floor tiles can go on either the wall or the floor. 

Desks, desks, and more desks. So many desks, they had to stack them on top of each other in confusing-looking heaps like this one. The ones here are glass-topped desks, but they had a good variety. Some of the computer workstations were for individuals while others were designed to fit together into larger, multi-part group work stations.

Almost any other sort of table or cabinet could be found as well. These may need to be outfitted with locks if you're going to place them next to where customers are free to wander and potentially paw through them. If security isn't going to be an issue, this might be a good storage solution. Paint may be your new best friend (shellac-based paint sticks to a lot of things that regular paint won't coat well, BTW).

Some of the coffee tables and other small tables may have had a damaged leg, so be sure to check anything out before you buy it. If you're handy, you could replace a leg or even cut the table in half vertically to place a half-table against a wall.

Lighting: both stand alone fixtures and florescent tubes for standard office lighting. Even if you already have a business up and running, it might be worth coming back to the ReStore to pick up bulbs. The light fixtures and chandeliers tend to be more of the builder-grade because people take them from the houses they're renovating, but that isn't always the case. If you live near an affluent area (or can travel to one), I've heard that the ReStores can carry quite a few higher-end items.

If you're starting a business, you're going to need to keep records. Most of the tall ones here were marked at $40 each.

You never know what you're going to find if you look on the shelves. In this isle, I discovered tools, architectural drafting equipment, weed whacker cable, weather stripping, and a flood light. (Ok, so the mobile flood light isn't here any more because I bought it.)

The take away lesson is that it's probably going to be worth at least glancing through your local ReStore. You may or may not find what you need, but any money you save by buying things here is money you can use for other parts of your business.