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I have been a portrait and wedding photographer for 4 years now. I have been able to establish myself more as a wedding photographer as opposed to a portrait photographer due to limitations of studio space with in my home along with several other factors. I have now got to the point where i want to take my photography business to a new level and open up a high street studio to enable me to take on more portrait photography.
There seems to be more empty retail units in the high street than ever now and it indicates to me that it is getting increasingly hard for businesses on the high street to stay in business. I am also weary of comitting legaly to take a shop on for what is usually a 3 year contract. I have as much money as i possibly need in place but i dont want to loose it and be tied to something that is not working.
I am now looking at propertys and just wanted to know if anyone on here has taken on a high street studio. Did it fail due to tough economic times or has it been very sucessful?
thanks
Lucian
After lots of years working from home, we bought a shop and studio 2 years ago.
It has helped increase turnover, but the increased overheads mean its a struggle to maintain. Business people in our town tell me they are down 40% on last year, and down 80% compared to 5 years ago. There's just nobody on the street spending money, and that's right across the board. There couldn't be a worse time to open a studio, unless you have a hugely affluent market around you, and even then I thnk you'd struggle.
I suggest you improve your skills and invest in training and better equipment in the short term with a view to being in a good position once the improvement ever comes....
The propertys i am looking at are in a town with a population of 12,000 people and a catchment area of around 25,000 people and there is not any other studio in the town or towns nearby. I have worked out that after shopfitting the studio will cost around £300 per week to run which means i will have to turn over around £700 per week to make a half decent income. Based on the prices i charge working from home and taking in to consideration what the average person spends on portrait photography with me i would need to do 2-3 shoots per week excluding weddings of course.
I just dont know if this is acheivable or not. Things just seem so tempting as rates are either free or very low on commercial property now.
Lucian
Lucian, I'd suggest that you do your figures again because your projected running costs seem a bit low.
We run Business Survival workshops for newbie photographers and our delegates have one thing in common - they've underestimated their true costs, under-priced their work and are slipping further into the red. One recent delegate was selling his most popular line below full cost recovery.
Whatever the state of the economy, a skilled entrepreneur can make a good profit and grow his/her business.
I have just been informed of a council property that is for lease for about £6800 Per year. I have had a look at it from the outside and it looks in move in condition inside. Floor is laminated and it has shelfs and a display cabinet to display my work. it has a reception area and has 28mSq of space upstairs that would be the studio area.
The downsides are the following. The shop front is not that big because it is quite a narrow building and i would be worried that many people in the town would not know i was their.
There is also a picture framer across the road with studio lighting in his shop and it says in his window that he does studio sessions with no sitting fee.
About 300 meters away there is a max speilman shop. It is a high street retailer with hundreds of outlets across the uk. They do photos on canvass, sell frames, disposable cameras and also do photoshoots of kids for very cheap prices.
I am going to view this property on the inside next purely because it comes in way under what i have budgeted for but having these other 2 shops in close proximity is making me feel a bit uneasy.
Lucian
They do seem a little close to premises you wish to rent. We have 2 local studios in our town & I know one of them really well as he rents his shop from the estate agency where I work. He is open from 10 - 8pm 6 days a week and at the moment, business seems good for him, but there are slack times of the year. His shop is also very narrow, but has been divided front to back, so reception is at the front with the studio behind, which also includes a viewing area with sofa where he can have clients in for a viewing.
He then rents the flat above the shop as offices. He employs a receptionist/office lady as he cannot be shooting, working on shots, ordering prints and framing and doing all the administration at the same time. He doesn't do weddings as he doesn't have the time.
He works much harder and longer hours than most seem to, but he has made a success. If you can get a short 1 year lease to try it and you are willing to work, as they say, like a dog. Then go for it. But see what else is going in the area. The other company in town works out of a small industrial unit just out of the town centre, but it does have parking.
A friend of mine opened up a studio, printing and framing business locally nearly 3 years ago (at the height of the recession).
She has an excellent shop front and store with the studio upstairs (in an area she lets out as exhibition space)
She tells me that if it wasn't for the repeat work she gets from her printing and framing business she would have gone under (she does get a bit of studio and commercial photography work - but not enough to keep things going on their own).
I'm sure a lot depends on the area you live in and the demographics of your local customer base - (we are very biased toward the retired end of the market down here, so little demand for family pics etc)
I've been on the brink of committing to a studio for a few weeks, then decided not to pursue it, mainly because that's not really what I do.
also I was put off by the extra pressure of finding rent each month - if I "need" a studio, there are other options available, I know a few togs who rent out their studios if needed for example.
but we're all different - I think you probably need to be really "savvy" with a studio, putting on offers and things to get people through the door. Also, having space to show the images on a projector with a lovely sofa and some wine for the customer may drive up sales... especially the wine... lots of that 
In many ways, having a studio is a high-risk strategy because the outgoings are so much greater than when working from home.
Success has three main ingredients - a sound business plan, the business skills to put it into action and good old-fashioned hard work. The right training is a great help.
yeah - the space I was looking at was £500/month (including VAT) which was going to be split with another business, plus a receptionist plus a few other overheads... seemed a lot of risk, albeit a shared risk, for someone who's genre is "outdoor photography"
Quote: Lucian, I'd suggest that you do your figures again because your projected running costs seem a bit low.
Couldn't agree more with this. Rent is just the tip of the iceberg.
Have you considered
Utilities (electric, water, gas) - £100 per month.
Although most Council Taxes are low at the moment they will soon be increasing - budget for £150 - £200 per month.
Advertising (people need to know you are there) - £400 per month (thats a minimum, a good quality Half Page Magazine Ad costs £200+).
Telephone & Internet (shop around for a good deal) - £35 - £40 per month.
Insurances - (again, shop around) - £50 - £100 per month.
Fire Extinguishers Maintainance - £120 per year.
Your Rent - £566 per month.
Your Landlord will want a yearly insurance payment - £150 per year.
Even factor in such things as Stationary and other consumables.
Don't forget that no everything you make is all profit, everything you sell has a cost to yourself also.
Then there is the constant updating of equipment.
Add on the re-decorating of the premises that will be written into your contract for you to pay for every two - three years or so.
Paul 
Quote: Lucian, I'd suggest that you do your figures again because your projected running costs seem a bit low.
Couldn't agree more with this. Rent is just the tip of the iceberg.
Have you considered
Although most Council Taxes are low at the moment they will soon be increasing - budget for £150 - £200 per month.
Paul
Doubt it would be CT that applied. A business would be liable for Business Rates which would be considerably higher than CT. In Scotland the current non-domestic rate is 42.6p in the £ for properties with RV under £35k.
However deep the recession, some people will still make serious money. These are business-people who happen to do photography: people who have thought things through.
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