Urgent advice needed re renting shop!!!

[Sal]

Help please everyone!

I currently rent a room in a suntan shop where I do nails, manis & pedis. I have been looking for another room to rent which is big enough to have a beauty couch in as in June I will qualify with NVQ level 2 Beauty Therapy and can offer waxing, facials etc.

I have found a potential room in a hairdressers on the parade opposite the one where Im currently located. It's at the back of the hairdressers (which is called "Hair and Nails" - not very original I know), is just big enough, has no windows (but not a problem), the rest of the salon is nice and is £70 per wk to rent. Needs painting.

I thought I was 95% sorted BUT then the owner of the shop where I currently rent has called me to say the flat above the suntan shop has come up for rent - the current residential tennant is moving out next wk. It has polished wood floor throughout, is a 2 bedroom flat and is £450 per month - but owner of suntan shop has known the property agent for a long time and says she would try to get a better deal for me (but Im not expecting it). I am hopefully going to see it today.

I'm aware that on top of the rent for the flat I would have business rates, elec, water etc bills to pay.

There is a hair and beauty place on the same parade as shops but it has a bad reputation and mainly does hair - it hasnt affected my current business.

I don't know if suntan shop owner would rent my current room to another nail tech or not (but then I would definitely offer spray tans!!!). I currently hav a few issues with her but if I was to be in the flat above I would be seperate to her (seperate entrance).

Please please give me your opinions/advice on this situation - I have no idea when/if the room and flat would come up for rent again in the future. I love the area and my current client base and would ideally like to stay in this area (I only live 2 mins drive away, if that).

Another issue is whether or not I am experienced enough to take on the flat if I like it - I've been trading for 8 months now and have been doing the beauty nvq at college since September. I've done the skill building application course in l&p and am planning to book onto skill building rebalance and Brisa induction with Creative in the next few months (I got potential dates from Creative yesterday). I also want to do a brazilian waxing course - very few, if any, salons in my area offer it.

I already have a friend on my course who would want at least 1 days work per week - whether as employed or renting a chair/room.

So, any thoughts/comments/advice?????????

 

[CDN nail chic]

I think that if you are planning on growing you might as well take the flat with the space to do so. If you are willing to pay out a bit more to start I am sure things will come together for you in time. With the extra space you may want to either hire some staff or rent and nail table out or something like that. Don't worry about the hair dressers reputation cause you will build your own rep. Keep your business seperate for theirs.

Good luck and let us know what you decide.

xxx

 

[joe90]

Help please everyone!



Another issue is whether or not I am experienced enough to take on the flat if I like it - I've been trading for 8 months now and have been doing the beauty nvq at college since September. I've done the skill building application course in l&p and am planning to book onto skill building rebalance and Brisa induction with Creative in the next few months (I got potential dates from Creative yesterday). I also want to do a brazilian waxing course - very few, if any, salons in my area offer it.

Experience comes through practice and I felt exactly the same as you two months ago when I took over a room above a hairdressers near me. I was petrified, but now a few months later, it's like water off a duck's back - I just get on with it now and don't worry, something I never thought possible.

Go for the flat if you really want to expand and as you say your current clients are used to where you are and are happy. I would also think about renting space to another therapist/nail technician which will help out with the rent and bills.

Let us know what you decide hun, it's all very exciting for you.

Good luck.

 

[CadenceAlex]

Help please everyone!

I currently rent a room in a suntan shop where I do nails, manis & pedis. I have been looking for another room to rent which is big enough to have a beauty couch in as in June I will qualify with NVQ level 2 Beauty Therapy and can offer waxing, facials etc.

I have found a potential room in a hairdressers on the parade opposite the one where Im currently located. It's at the back of the hairdressers (which is called "Hair and Nails" - not very original I know), is just big enough, has no windows (but not a problem), the rest of the salon is nice and is £70 per wk to rent. Needs painting.

I thought I was 95% sorted BUT then the owner of the shop where I currently rent has called me to say the flat above the suntan shop has come up for rent - the current residential tennant is moving out next wk. It has polished wood floor throughout, is a 2 bedroom flat and is £450 per month - but owner of suntan shop has known the property agent for a long time and says she would try to get a better deal for me (but Im not expecting it). I am hopefully going to see it today.

I'm aware that on top of the rent for the flat I would have business rates, elec, water etc bills to pay.

There is a hair and beauty place on the same parade as shops but it has a bad reputation and mainly does hair - it hasnt affected my current business.

I don't know if suntan shop owner would rent my current room to another nail tech or not (but then I would definitely offer spray tans!!!). I currently hav a few issues with her but if I was to be in the flat above I would be seperate to her (seperate entrance).

Please please give me your opinions/advice on this situation - I have no idea when/if the room and flat would come up for rent again in the future. I love the area and my current client base and would ideally like to stay in this area (I only live 2 mins drive away, if that).

Another issue is whether or not I am experienced enough to take on the flat if I like it - I've been trading for 8 months now and have been doing the beauty nvq at college since September. I've done the skill building application course in l&p and am planning to book onto skill building rebalance and Brisa induction with Creative in the next few months (I got potential dates from Creative yesterday). I also want to do a brazilian waxing course - very few, if any, salons in my area offer it.

I already have a friend on my course who would want at least 1 days work per week - whether as employed or renting a chair/room.

So, any thoughts/comments/advice?????????

Hmmm... I get a feeling you need to have a retail license to trade - can you do this from a residential property? I would have thought that as the flat is residential.. you could not trade from it - and as it stands right now, you would be paying council tax NOT business rates on a residential property.

The cost of the flat is the price of a semi decent mortgage - have you considered buying?

In my opinion, if you wanted to start out bigger - then do so in circumstances you have chosen.

The owner of the sunbed shop you are renting probably wont want you to leave as you will be bringing in custom.

 

[kateyork1]

Firstly if there's a chance they might rent the other room to a nail tech then I wouldn't go for it, and if you want to expand into tanning then its not the ideal place for you either - at least the other place only does hair, and is going to work out quite a bit cheaper. I would agree about the mortgage - if you can afford to pay this much maybe you would be better off buying a place of your own? Good luck in what ever you decide hun xx

 

[geeg]

Location is everything and if you can get a written agreement from the shop below that they will not get another nail tech so much the better. YOU are the one though that has a client base for nails so if it were I, I wouldn't be particularly bothered if they did get another nail technician ... why would my clients defect?? Maybe it would be the new techs clients who defected?? Hmmm?

Anyway, I like the sound of the flat. and as Joe90 says ... you will get your experience on the job ... where else are you going to get it?? Just DO IT:

 

[Sal]

Thanks so much for the advice guys......

.....but I spoke to the letting agent this morning and they said that the flat is going to stay as a residential flat :cry: :cry: :cry:

So, I think I will be going for the other room at the hairdressers.

I will definitely think of buying my own place in the not too distant future though

 

[CadenceAlex]

Thanks so much for the advice guys......

.....but I spoke to the letting agent this morning and they said that the flat is going to stay as a residential flat :cry: :cry: :cry:

So, I think I will be going for the other room at the hairdressers.

I will definitely think of buying my own place in the not too distant future though

Hiya

That was my main concern.. the headache it would be for you to get a residential property switched to retail - only talking from past experience. There is nothing straightforward in commercial property/law and it can really get you down!

Whatever you do in the mean time, just remember that in the not so distant future, you will have your own business and it will be how you want it.

Good Luck xxxx