Grow a business where the people are
Downtown rents are high because the customers are close. These playbooks help you check the maths before you sign, negotiate the lease that protects you, and turn passing foot traffic into regulars.
Business guides
Commercial Lease Terms Decoded: What to Negotiate and Why
Gross vs. net, CAM, tenant improvements, exclusivity, co-tenancy and personal guarantees — the clauses that decide whether a downtown lease works.
Funding a Downtown Business: Grants, Loans and Programmes to Research
An overview of the funding routes small businesses use to open or grow downtown — and where to look in North America, the UK, Europe and Asia-Pacific.
Opening a Downtown Storefront: The Step-by-Step Playbook
From validating the location to opening day — a practical sequence for launching a shop, café or studio in a city centre.
Pop-Up Shops: Test a Downtown Location Before You Commit
How to find short-term space, what to negotiate, and how to measure whether a pop-up proves a permanent store will work.
Turning Foot Traffic into Customers: Street-Level Marketing That Works
Windows, signage, lighting, local search and partnerships — practical ways to convert passers-by into paying customers.
Using Downtown Events to Grow a Small Business
How to turn festivals, markets, game days and holidays into new customers — without burning out your staff or your budget.
Looking for a location?
Choosing a Downtown Event Venue: Capacity, Costs and Contracts
Capacity by layout, food-and-beverage minimums, hire fees, holds and deposits, AV, access, curfews, insurance and cancellation terms, plus a venue-visit checklist.
Coworking vs Private Office vs Lease: Which Model Fits Your Team?
Coworking, serviced private offices and conventional leases compared on cost, flexibility, commitment, fit-out, brand and control, with break-even logic.
How Much Office Space Do You Need? A Per-Person Guide
Per-person ranges, meeting-room ratios, hybrid desk sharing, growth buffers and load factors, plus a worked example you can adapt to your own team.
Negotiating Office Rent: The Levers Beyond the Headline Rate
Rent-free periods, fit-out allowances, escalations, breaks, operating cost caps, renewals, deposits, signage and parking, with a what-to-ask-for table.
Office Relocation Timeline: 12 Months to Move Day
A month-by-month office move plan: lease notice deadlines, dilapidations and reinstatement, IT and telecoms lead times, staff communication and budget lines.
Restaurant Space Checklist: What to Check Before You Sign
Second-generation vs shell space, extraction, grease traps, gas and power, change of use, licensing, patios and work letters, with a pre-signing checklist.
Subleasing Office Space: Savings, Risks and How to Protect Yourself
Why sublease offices can be cheaper, what you inherit from the head lease, what happens if the sublandlord defaults, and the protections and questions that matter.
Tenant Rep Brokers Explained: What They Do and How They're Paid
What a tenant representative does, who usually pays them, how dual agency creates conflicts, how to interview one and what a good one negotiates.
Best downtowns for business
Ranked by the Down.Town business-climate score: depth of the office core, retail footfall, ease of setting up and access to talent.
See the Index- Space in downtown Tokyo
Business climate 9/10 · Marunouchi, Ginza & Shinjuku
- Space in downtown Seoul
Business climate 9/10 · Jung-gu & Jongno (Gwanghwamun, Myeong-dong)
- Space in downtown London
Business climate 10/10 · The City & West End
- Space in downtown Chicago
Business climate 9/10 · The Loop
- Space in downtown Hong Kong
Business climate 10/10 · Central
- Space in downtown Singapore
Business climate 10/10 · Downtown Core & CBD
Opening or growing a business in downtown New York?
Storefront, kitchen, pop-up or showroom: tell us what you need and we'll make the introductions.