Okay, I was in another forum and I'm licensed, but at this point I don't know if I can operate from my home kitchen or not..but that's besides the point.

I live in a little town in Southern California. I am looking for a retail space to officially open, but I'm really scared of the renovating costs. I'm not even sure who to contact to get estimates or how big the space should be to begin with.

Any help or advice would be appreciated!

If you intend to open a business, it's important to have a business plan:

http://cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-358713.html

HTH

Being able to bake good things and decorate cleverly is no guarantee that your store will survive. Folks always mention that they wish they had my job..... decorating cakes all day. Believe me, it is so not like that at all. owning a bakery, like any shop owner here can tell you, is about 85% cleaning, paperwork, customer care, ordering, paperwork, cleaning, worrying, errands, more paperwork, meetings, and, oh, did I mention cleaning? The actual decorating of cakes is less that 15% of my working day.

I posted this in another thread. There are most likely things I have forgotten/repressed, so you other bakery/storefront owners chime in.

These are just overhead costs, not even counting any baking ingredients.

monthly costs (some of these are once a year, or even just 2-3 times a year):

rent, insurance, loan payments, electricity, telephone (land-line + cell), broadband, website costs, cleaning supplies (floor cleaner, glass cleaner, universal cleaner, paper towels, dish soap, hand soap, hand disinfectant, dish detergent/drying detergent for dishwasher, toilet paper, toilet cleaner, mop, broom, dustpan, laundry detergent), credit card machine + fees, company credit card fees, assorted bank fees, sidewalk salt, alarm system costs, accountant/bookkeeping, garbage collection, office supplies (paper, pens, paper clips, staples, post-its, scissors, mat knife, paper rolls for cash register/credit card machine, ribbon for cake/pastry boxes, stamps, envelopes), edible image ink cartridges/sheets, packaging (cake/pastry boxes in different sizes, bread bags etc), cost for yearly HD inspection, garbage bags, advertising/marketing (business cards, brochures, website), bridal show fees, fees from city planning office for sidewalk signs, telephone catalog ad, take-away cups/lids for coffee drinks, light bulbs



basic start-up:

purchase of premises, renovating costs (plumber, electrician, carpenters etc), oven, ventilation system, special lights in kitchen, special wall, ceiling and floor applications, telephones, refrigerators (3 are required); including a special 'dry' fridge for fondant cakes, freezers (2 are required), 2 hand sinks, cash register, credit card machine, double sink, commercial dishwasher, commercial espresso machine (2-group), commercial coffee mill, take-away cups/lids for coffee drinks, 20 qt standing mixer, safe, broadband, locksmith, alarm system, computer, printer, scanner, edible image software and printer, website costs, digital camera, phones (both cell and regular), office supplies (stapler, staples, paper, pens, paper rolls for register/CC machine, ribbon for cake/pastry boxes, stamps, envelopes), food handlers license (for me and all employees), cost for HD inspection, display cases, trays to display product, SS work bench (2½ meters long, special order), trash cans, garbage bags, recycling bins, marketing materials (business cards, brochures, magazine ads, website), work chairs (pony chairs, 2), counters, shelves, AC unit, rolling rack, microwave, hot plate, sidewalk signs (plus fees from planning office), signs on building (plus fees from planning office), flags, packaging (cake/pastry boxes in different sizes, bread bags, etc), telephone catalog, all different kinds of bowls and spatulas etc, hand mixer, storage containers, food processor, lighting fixtures, light bulbs, telephone catalog ad, fire extinguishers

not knowing the costs of building supplies in Cali, I'm kind of guessing here, but I'd figure anywhere from 25K to 75K to renovate a space from a white box to a kitchen/retail space. This is a conservative estimate, in my opinion, but also includes some appliances/fixtures.

I would never have guessed that the special ceiling tiles I needed in my kitchen wouldd cost so much. Nor would I have guessed that the ceiling was properly installed the first time, so when we moved one panel, the whole thing collapsed adding about 2 weeks to our buildout. 2 weeks that I had to pay my contractors.

I also spent more on my reception area than anything else. I wanted to part my customers see to look GREAT! I don't really care if my office walls are painted.

My sister and BIL are ALMOST finished renovating their store and they are at about $50k. This is ONLY for the construction and they are still not done. They still need to finish painting, the flooring and all the furnishing. THey do own the building and that cost them $25. And we haven't even started on the kitchen yet (that's gonna be mine). Now, they did renovate the building completely. I'm talking knocking walls down, putting in new supports, etc... We are in the midwest and I'm sure cali would be more expensive. I should also add that my BIL, dad and friends have done TONS of the work themselves - so they have saved A LOT in labor costs.