What To Do With a Warehouse

Maybe you own a warehouse or rent one; regardless, you have plenty of opportunities to make money—you just need to be creative. Whether you want a short-term solution or something more long-term, with the right approach, that space can start making you money instead of sitting empty.

You have a world of possibilities at your fingertips with an empty warehouse. But it can be tough to figure out what to do with the space. So in this article, we'll go over how you make money off unused space.

Convert to Office Space

It's not cheap to convert your warehouse into office space, but it's a smart investment if you're searching for a consistent source of monthly revenue. The amount of money you'll earn from your warehouse-turned-office space will be determined by the quantity of office space you have to offer. This fee is usually calculated on a per-square-foot basis.

The conversion process might involve anything from setting up cubicles to "modernizing" portions of your warehouse or even including some necessary office equipment. In other words, the more you have to offer in this office space, the higher you can set prices.

Coworking Space

If you have enough warehouse space, consider opening a coworking office where people can rent desks by the hour or day. You would earn extra income from renting out your property--plus, it's beneficial for everyone involved because you would be assisting startups, freelancers, and entrepreneurs who are in the beginning stages!

Plain Storage

Many warehouses are used to store raw materials, wholesale goods, manufactured items, and surplus inventory from businesses and shops. Check out what your competitors are charging and all the features, services, and warranties they provide. You'll need temperature control, active water, security measures, insurance coverage, fire-response plans, carts or a forklift on site, and staff.

Entertainment Center

If you're fortunate, your vacant building is big and spacious. This is the ideal location for an event, entertainment center, or venue. You may rent this space to musicians and groups to supplement your income. To increase the rates charged, you'll have to invest significant money into this conversion. Very few parties are interested in renting out a bare-bones place with dim lighting and no personality.

Provide Parking

If you live in a busy or congested area, your warehouse may be the ideal answer for parking. That's because you can convert your warehouse to sell or rent out parking spaces. You'll need to create a system to ensure that only those with parking passes and permits are allowed to park on your property. An automatic gate outside of your warehouse would be an excellent investment.

Sell Space for Vehicles

Consider selling automobile and motorcycle storage space if you have it. You can earn money by renting your extra space to local businesses or car enthusiasts. You may choose to charge hourly, or you could rent your warehouse space monthly. Exotic automobiles, vintage cars, taxis, race cars, and specialty fleet trucks are the most profitable vehicles to store.

Lease Space

Some companies and individuals find themselves in a compromising situation- they need an area to work but can't afford to buy a warehouse outright. That's when your warehouse comes in handy. Leasing out space is a very lucrative business idea. You could also create a lease requiring your renters to pay all of the warehouse's operating costs and fees, increasing profit margins.

Welding and Fabrication

A welding and fabrication business is a great option if you want to use your empty warehouse. For those who don't know, welding is a process of joining materials together by melting them - as opposed to brazing or soldering, which are methods of connecting metal without actually melting it. So if you're interested in starting your own business, consider using your space to weld and fabricate!

Fitness

Construct a gym in your extra warehouse space by furnishing it with fitness machines and equipment. To make things more comfortable, add synthetic turf or matt flooring. Because owning and operating a gym involves liability issues, check with your insurance company to see if you're covered; you might also need all participants to sign liability waiver forms.

If you have a large warehouse, you could potentially turn it into a hockey rink, tennis courts, or even indoor soccer fields that people can rent by the hour. This would be especially beneficial if you partnered with someone interested in running sports camps, clinics, lessons, and tournaments. They could use your space in exchange for a portion of the profits they make from renting out the facilities to other people.

Flea Market

You might set up a flea market in your warehouse where consumers can sell their secondhand items. If the warehouse is near a lot of foot traffic, you could ask the city for permission to run a farmers' market or crafts fair.

Landscaping Storage

If your warehouse has enough room and is in an ideal area, it would be an excellent location to store landscaping equipment. Lawnmowers, blowers, hedge cutters, and other landscaping tools could be stored in your space.

Indoor Shooting Range

In most states, it's not very easy to open a gun store or an indoor shooting range because of the many regulations. But if your warehouse is up to code, you could make some extra money by renting out space for a shooting range!

Trade Exhibition Center

You could turn your warehouse into an exhibition center with high ceilings, an open floor plan, and property owner approval. You could host trade shows, craft fairs, and even boat or auto shows in the now empty building.

Youth Center

If you want to support your town, one idea is to create an indoor space where kids can do after-school activities. Research opportunities such as community grants, local organizations, and businesses that may have funding or could offer help in some way.

Create a Skatepark

Create an indoor skatepark out of your extra warehouse space, and charge a daily or hourly fee from customers. In addition to making money, you'll also be giving skaters, bikers, and rollerbladers somewhere to go. You could even open a shop where clients could buy and sell equipment.

Go-Kart Track

If you have the warehouse space, consider opening a go-kart track! You could offer different tracks for adults and kids!

Furniture Store

Turning your warehouse into an indoor furniture store is a fantastic option if you're interested in making money from antique and estate sale items. To attract customers, market your business and promote it at estate sales and auctions.

Manufacturing Equipment Storage

If you have an appropriate layout, you could use your warehouse to store heavy machinery and equipment for other companies. For example, companies manufacturing car parts or industrial machines would need a garage to keep these items! Depending on how long they want their machinery stored in your warehouse, you could offer special discounts to customers.

Imports and Exports

Before you can begin importing and exporting merchandise, ensure that you have the proper documentation and licenses. Once that's established, there's no limit to what sort of goods you could be dealing in; clothes from China, spices from India, furniture from Italy...the world is your oyster!

Art Exhibition

If you or anyone you know is an artist, consider transforming your industrial warehouse into a local art gallery. By doing so, you will be bringing in supplemental income and promoting creativity within the community! You can reach out to nearby artists and see if they would be willing to showcase their artwork inside your gallery space. In exchange for displaying their work, charge them either an hourly fee or membership rate. You could also host workshops and classes on various art forms and mediums, inviting more people into the gallery while simultaneously providing revenue.