Railway arch business ideas?

[GetPaper]

Hi all,

Was wondering if anyone can share some ideas for a business that can operate from a Railway arch in London? Would it matter what is next door to it because there is a carwash currently operating next door.

I was thinking of buying and selling old/ refurbished/ vintage furniture online. Or would this be a tough market?

Thank You
GP

 

[Gecko001]

Those railway arches could be very damp and not the ideal place for keeping wooden furniture as the wood might warp if kept there for a length of time.

Since you probably will be competing with people online who could be located anywhere in the country and who would have very mush cheaper rents than London prices, or no rent to pay at all, you could struggle. Have you thought about selling direct from the arches as well as online as the location might have a certain old time charm about it which might attract some fairly wealthy customers in the London area.

 

[GetPaper]

The railway arch was refurbished a couple of years ago and has decent resistance against moisture as the inside has this metal cladding system which channels moisture down to a drain so its not too bad.

The rent as expected is quite high but the location is awesome as its just off Cable street not far from Tower Hill. It doesn't have to be furniture just something enjoyable to buy and sell. Something to mention is that Cable street has CS3 - the cycle highway and there are usually hundreds of cyclists which pass through both directions every single day.

I was thinking of selling bikes and mopeds as we all know London has 2 wheels becoming more and more popular everyday as a method of commuting. But I would also offer part exchange with their old bicycle/ moped. Its just some general ideas I have at the moment but would like to choose something sensible and in demand.

 

[fisicx]

So if everyone passing by already has a bike why would they be interested in stopping off and looking at your stock?

The ideal business is one that fills a need. What is missing locally? What do people complain about? What business as have closed recently? Could you do what they couldn't.

 

[MikeJ]

What about a bike service place? They drop a bike off to you for a service, and you lend them a bike for the rest of their journey. The collect on the way back.

 

[Prosperity]

I run a tyre garage and have seen a few ran out of railway arches ....

 

[Mitch3473]

I like railway arches, they are a bit quirky, I suppose you could sell, rent, repair, service anything as they have some sort of appeal about them and people will travel. How about a small commercial laundry.

 

[ethical PR]

As @fiscix mentioned - you will need to do your own market research on what is missing locally - as you know railway arches in London are used for a wide variety of uses from office space to restaurants to retailers and night clubs,

What services are needed locally? Can you make a profit at running them? How would you attract passing trade and customers to your premises?

 

[Paul Norman]

Railway arches, in a reasonable location, are great business venues.

However, I have said before, and repeat again that it is my strongly held belief that if you need other people to produce your business idea you have fallen at the first hurdle.

 

[Chris Ashdown]

How about selling Cyclist clothing, Pannier Bags, security etc along with bike spares and repair

The Bike man under the arches

 

[ethical PR]

How about selling Cyclist clothing, Pannier Bags, security etc along with bike spares and repair

The Bike man under the arches

I guess it would depend on whether there is enough passing trade, space outside/inside for cyclists to park up and whether he would be able to make a decent profit . Rent and business rates in London are super expensive.

 

[Root 66 Woodshop]

I would personally go with the bike shop idea... include the repairs side and even possibly the hire of bicycles... as stated above as an ad hoc service?

If the path area is wide enough and you've got the cycle lane running past - you could pop a cycle stand against the wall/door/window area to cater for those stopping and popping in.

 

[Chris Ashdown]

Offer free WiFi and coffee to the cyclists who come in fast puncture repair whilst they wait

 

[TotalWebSolutions]

As fitting as it sounds - do we know if the OP has any experience with bike repair?

 

[Paul Norman]

As fitting as it sounds - do we know if the OP has any experience with bike repair?

I am quoting this because it reinjects some reality into this thread.

This was my point. Us suggesting what might work for the OP is nice, and fills up the forum, but stops short of being sound business advice.

Which is why he/she must come up with their own idea.

You, or I, might be able to run a successful bike repair business from this railway arch. This, if true, is of very little help in addressing the question.

 

[Chris Ashdown]

He did say he had considered bikes
Hardly rocket science to do many repairs like cables, wheels, tyres and chains unless they are electronic bikes or it needs costly items like new forks for a racing bike

 

[MikeJ]

Previous threads suggest he was looking at vehicle maintenance, while not exactly the same would suggest he's comfortable with spanners. (Why else would he be here.... )

I agree though - has anyone here started a business in which they'd previously had no experience or interest, and made a success of it? I'd been in the industry for 20 years and doing exactly what I'm doing now for over two years before forming a company. Even then it was kind of forced on us by redundancy, rather than an out and out choice.