I need big ideas for a big building

[Nick Miller]

My partners and I bought an 8,500 sq ft. building in a small town with a population of about 10,000 to 15,000. The building has 5 apartments on the second floor and two storefronts on the main floor.

The residential rental market is strong in this small town as it is about 20 minutes from three much larger cities (population in a 50 mile radius of about 500,000). We are confident that we will have positive cash flow renting out the residential area but I would like to capitalize on the 4,500 sq ft. space that is zoned commercial in the downstairs.

I am worried that we wont be able to get a commercial tenant for either of the storefronts because of a lack of parking and limited foot traffic.

I am looking for ideas for business to put into the storefronts. We have permission to put in a coin operated laundry and mini self-storage business but I am not sure what the demand will be for either of those business models and I would really like to maximize our investment.

If you had 4,500 sq ft of space, 13 ft ceilings in a small town with limited parking what would you put into that area?