Keeping a retail store looking clean, modern and inviting is important, but closing your doors for a painting project is not always practical. Every hour your store is closed can mean missed customers and lost sales. Fortunately, with the right planning, commercial painting for retail stores can often be completed while the business remains open.
The key is developing a painting plan around your customers, employees, operating hours and busiest areas. Here is how retail store owners and commercial property managers can complete painting projects while keeping disruption to a minimum.
Can You Paint a Retail Store While It Is Open?
Yes! Many retail painting projects can be completed without completely shutting down the store. Rather than treating the entire property as one large project, a commercial painting contractor can divide the work into sections and schedule around store operations.
Before work begins, property and operations teams should consider:
- Store operating hours
- Peak shopping periods
- Employee schedules
- Customer traffic patterns
- Entrances and exits
- Checkout areas
- Deliveries and stocking schedules
- Seasonal sales and promotions
- Areas that can temporarily be taken out of service
Planning around these factors can make commercial painting for retail stores easier to manage while reducing interruptions to shoppers and employees.
Use Phased Scheduling, Off-Hours and Low-Traffic Periods
One of the best ways to reduce disruption is to break the project into smaller sections and complete work during the least disruptive times. High-traffic areas such as entrances, checkout lanes, customer service areas, fitting rooms and main aisles can be planned around the store’s busiest periods.
Painting work can be scheduled during:
- Evenings
- Overnight hours
- Early mornings
- Slower days of the week
- Days or holidays when the store is already closed
- Temporarily shortened store hours
For larger projects, temporarily closing earlier or opening later can give crews additional time to complete larger sections without customers in the work area. A good phasing plan keeps as much of the store accessible as possible while allowing the project to continue moving forward.
If You Have to Close, Keep Some Operations Running
Sometimes the size or scope of a painting or renovation project may require part or all of the physical store to close temporarily. That does not necessarily mean the business has to stop operating or generating revenue.
Depending on the retailer, you may be able to continue offering:
- Online ordering
- Phone orders
- Curbside pickup
- Designated pickup areas
- Local delivery
- Limited access to unaffected departments or services
Keeping some of these operations available can help maintain cash flow while giving contractors the space they need to complete the project. If only one section needs to close, other parts of the store may also remain open until the project moves into the next phase.
Make Safety a Priority
Painting an open retail store means customers and employees may be near active work areas. Clear barriers, signage, controlled access and proper equipment staging can help separate the work from daily store traffic.
Store management and the painting crew should also coordinate as work moves from one area to another so employees know which spaces are temporarily unavailable.
Hire a Contractor That Can Handle More Than Painting
Painting may not be the only work your retail property needs. While planning a repaint, it can be a good time to look at other areas of the store that could use an update, including:
- Repairing or updating flooring
- Updating lighting and light fixtures
- Replacing outdated and broken store fixtures
- Updating counters and cabinets
- Repairing walls, ceilings, or trim
- Updating bathrooms or employee areas
- Making small remodeling or layout changes
- Updating exterior areas, signage, or entrances
You don’t need to do a whole remodel for these things! Hiring a contractor that can handle the painting and other small updates can not only take stress of you and your team’s plate but can be more cost effective since the contactor’s team is already on site.
Communication Is Key
Store management, property management and the contractor should have a clear project schedule and understand which areas will be worked on and when. Establishing a main point of contact and communicating schedule changes can keep the project organized and limit surprises for employees and customers.
Your retail store does not necessarily need to close its doors to get a fresh look. With careful planning, phased scheduling, flexible work hours and the right contractor, commercial painting for retail stores can be completed while minimizing disruption to customers, employees and sales. At re:fab, our teams can help with painting, remodeling, repairs and other property improvements, giving retail owners and property managers one team to help manage the project from start to finish. Ready to refresh your retail property? Contact re:fab today to start planning your next project.
