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More Tips On Designing A Stager's Warehouse

By
Home Stager with Design To Market LLC

Warehouse photo

Bright and Airy Rules!

 

For those of you that have been following this series on the evolution of the Design To Market warehouse, I am happy to offer the 4th installment in the series.  The first three are provided below:

 

Tips On Selecting The Correct Warehouse for Your Staging Business

Take A Peek At Our Warehouse

Take A Second Look At Our Warehouse

 

This is our 5th warehouse in 7 years.  With each move I have promised myself and the design team that we will NOT need to move again.  In truth, we continue to grow and with growth comes the need to meet the needs of the diverse population of homes that we stage.  

While I menitoned in my previous warehouse blog that budget is a critical consideration in selecting a space, it is also critical to realize that inefficient and poorly designed warehouse space can hit the bottom line in painful but less obvious ways.  If your warehouse is cramped you risk:

 

  1. Damaging items that might be crammed too tightly into small spaces
  2. Misplacing costly items that "disappear" 
  3. Adding inefficiency to the staging process as you are both removing items and returning them to the warehouse
With 5 moves and 5 warehouse designs, we have learned that planning and refining the design is the best policy to avoid costly errors.  Some things to consider:
  1. Distance from the stored area to the loading area for heavy items
  2. Use of vertical space balanced with access to items stored in the second level
  3. Lighting in areas where shelves of decorative items and bedding are stored
  4. Efficient workspace for paperwork and planning
  5. Flexibility to grow and shrink different storage areas with changes in inventory levels


Pillows Design To Market     Glass storage

Pillows and Pillows and Bedding. OH My!_____________ A rubber mat under the glass helps!


Roll up the rugs!

Roll up the rugs!

Design To Market has been staging homes in Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky since 2004.  For more information about our Cincinnati  and Northern Kentucky home staging services please call 513-265-0952 or visit our website at www.designtomarketllc.com

 

 

Kathy Streib
Cypress, TX
Home Stager/Redesign

Jo- I'm impressed!! Just the thought of maintaining and organizing it looks overwhelming.  Do you also have your own truck?

Oct 18, 2010 02:15 PM
Jo Potvin
Design To Market LLC - Cincinnati, OH
Home Staging Cincinnati - Design To Market

Managing the warehouse is a lot of work but it is critical if you are going to own your inventory!  We do not have a truck, we are partnered with a moving company.

Oct 18, 2010 02:26 PM
Kathy Burke
Sensational Home Staging~~Danville, CA - Danville, CA
S.F. East Bay Home Staging

WOW....lots of space and work!  Totally admire the degree of organization!  I had originally owned furniture but had to give that up and now only carry my own accessories, bedding and some art....rent ALL furniture, lamps, rugs and some art.  Life got easier!!

Oct 18, 2010 02:52 PM
Jo Potvin
Design To Market LLC - Cincinnati, OH
Home Staging Cincinnati - Design To Market

It is definitely a decision that you can't take lightly.  We decided that owning everything worked best for us.  There are a lot of factors to consider when choosing the path you will take!

Oct 18, 2010 03:02 PM
Kristine Ginsberg
Elite Staging and Redesign, LLC - Short Hills, NJ
NJ Home Stager

I think it's brave and impressive that you own such an extensive inventory, however, I'm with Kathy - for now, it's out of my league (too much) and I find it best to rent, but good for you!

Oct 18, 2010 04:02 PM
Jo Potvin
Design To Market LLC - Cincinnati, OH
Home Staging Cincinnati - Design To Market

Managed growth has been the key to our success...our first 10x10 storage unit in 2004 was a HUGE step at the time!

Oct 18, 2010 04:12 PM
Kathy Nielsen
http://atlantahomestaging.net - Marietta, GA
Atlanta Georgia Home Stager

I have warehouse-envy. I couldn't imagine having that much space. I would absolutely be in hog-heaven (smile). In all seriousness, you are so organized, Jo.  Good for you!  

Kathy

 

Oct 19, 2010 02:35 AM
Sally Weatherley
EXIT STAGE RIGHT - Vancouver, BC
Vancouver Home Staging, Home Stager Vancouver, B.C

Jo - I love this warehouse series.  I'm drooling over your warehouse and its contents.  That's neat the way you have those big tables, and other sofas on top of them - stacked. 

I love owning my own furniture - a lot of it is out now, although when it starts coming back, I'll have to rent my first warehouse - I'm thinking late December/January.  Right now it's all in my basement and oozing into the rest of the house.  My living room looks like a conservatory right now with all the faux plants I'm storing in there!

Oct 19, 2010 04:57 AM
Michelle Minch
Moving Mountains Design Home Staging, Pasadena, CA - Los Angeles, CA
Home Staging Los Angeles and Orange County, CA

Jo: As you know, I'm extremely jealous of your warehouse - all that space! I currently lease an 1100 sq. ft. warehouse in which I built a 400 sq. ft. mezzanine to get more space. My lease is up Jan. 1 and I am debating staying where I am (obviously the most cost effective choice), or moving closer to my home or to a more visible space where I would get some "free" advertising. Due to the high cost of warehouse space here in Los Angeles, I'd have to move pretty far out to get a larger space like you have for a reasonable price. I'm loathe to add more driving time to already heavy Los Angeles traffic. That, and the high cost of labor here, make your business model cost prohibitive for me:o( I can dream though!

Oct 19, 2010 05:39 AM
Julia Maher
Nestings: Connecticut Home Staging and Model Homes - Fairfield, CT
Connecticut Home Stager

My husband and I started the discussion about investing in several houses' worth of furniture last night.  For now, I'll stick with the art, accessories, lighting, etc.  However, I will be getting a 10x10' space this month.  Julie

Oct 19, 2010 06:38 AM
Jo Potvin
Design To Market LLC - Cincinnati, OH
Home Staging Cincinnati - Design To Market

Sally, It's great that your inventory is out.  I would recommend calling all of the for lease signs you can find and "shopping" for the best rate.  The best time to move is before your inventory returns.  It is nice to get organized and set up shelving when inventory is low.  I would balance location and size with budget.  I think that there is always a temptation to under estimate the needed space.  (especially if you have furniture in your inventory.)  In general, I find that inventory levels tend to be higher in December than in any other month.

Oct 19, 2010 12:55 PM
Cathy Lee
CL Design Services Home Staging - Danville, CA
ASP, IAHSP, RESA Danville, CA

So immaculate! I too have envy! I am not quite as organized or tidy!!

Oct 19, 2010 04:44 PM
Jo Potvin
Design To Market LLC - Cincinnati, OH
Home Staging Cincinnati - Design To Market

Roslyn,

It sounds line the garage is a great place to start your expansion.   I would warn you that it is important to watch for humidity and temperature variations.  Cold weather is not as bad for the inventory just tough to work in.  Hot weather however can be bad especially when paired with humidity.  Also, watch out for candles in the heat and cold.  They crack in the cold and melt in the heat.

Oct 22, 2010 01:48 AM
Jo Potvin
Design To Market LLC - Cincinnati, OH
Home Staging Cincinnati - Design To Market

It is a big decision to take on a longterm financial commitment.  I am a big believer in crawl before you walk strategies.  As I mentioned in several posts, we grew to this space after slowly justifying it with smaller locations first.  It could be a big (and risky) error to commit to a big warehouse too fast.

Oct 23, 2010 10:04 AM
Annie Pinsker-Brown
Stage to Sell - LA Home Staging - Los Angeles, CA
Stage to Sell, Los Angeles Home Stager

Fabulous! I am in a similar area to Michelle, so large warehouse space is incredibly expensive and cost prohibitive. I currently have 2 storage units at a local storage place which house our pillows, art, plants, lamps and rugs. My garage is decked out with shelving and holds all the "smalls" and bedding/towels. Keeping it all organized is the most important thing. My current slate of interns have made organizing the art and pillows one of their main priorities and it is REALLY a time saver to know where everything is. We also recently invested in some heavy duty large scale plastic bags to store our art in so the pieces don't scratch each other.

Oct 28, 2010 04:00 PM
Jo Potvin
Design To Market LLC - Cincinnati, OH
Home Staging Cincinnati - Design To Market

Annie,

I am always looking for good ways to store and move artwork...i would love to know your source!

Nov 17, 2010 01:37 PM
Inna Ivchenko
Barcode Properties - Encino, CA
Realtor® • GRI • HAFA • PSC Calabasas CA

I love what you are doing and organizing the inventory is a key. 

How are you these days? 

Sep 02, 2017 11:37 PM