How Storefront works

You search listings by city and dates, send an inquiry to the listing owner, agree the details with them, then pay through Storefront and move in. Browsing and inquiring are free. The price shown on each listing is the total for your dates, with our service fee already included.

Retail units and pop-up shops, showrooms, art galleries, event venues, restaurant and bar space, photo studios, flexible offices, meeting and conference rooms, and shop shares. Listings run from small single rooms to whole floors and flagship units.

From a single day upwards. Days, weeks and months are all straightforward, and terms from three months, six months, a year or longer are available on spaces that allow it. Each listing sets its own minimum and maximum, so check the one you are interested in.

Our service fee is already included in every price you see, so the figure shown for your dates is the total you pay. There is no separate booking fee and no charge for sending inquiries. The full position is in our terms of service.

The displayed price covers the rental for your dates plus our service fee. What else is included varies by space and is listed on each one. Utilities, cleaning and fit-out are the usual things to check before you book. Our fit-out guide sets out what to think about when you are planning and budgeting for a space.

You pay once, through Storefront, when you confirm the booking. Inquiring is free and carries no commitment, and you should never be asked to pay a listing owner directly.

Yes. If you found a space or contacted a listing owner through Storefront, the booking and the payment go through Storefront too. Our terms of service set this out as a covenant against circumvention: arranging a rental or taking payment off the platform, without our written consent, is a breach of those terms.

Both, for different things. The listing owner decides whether to accept your booking and handles everything about the space itself. Storefront carries the inquiry, takes the payment and provides support.

Yes, and it is perfectly normal not to have your dates fixed. Mark them as flexible when you inquire and settle them with the listing owner as the conversation goes on. Do not let an unconfirmed date stop you from getting in touch.

Most listing owners require public liability cover for the rental period, and some ask for proof before handing over keys. Requirements are set by the owner and stated on the listing, so check it before you commit.

Often yes, within limits the listing owner sets. Branding, vinyl and temporary fixtures are normal in short-term retail. Structural changes and anything affecting the shopfront usually need written permission, and the space should be returned as you found it. There is more in our design guide.

Yes. Viewings are arranged with the listing owner through Storefront once your inquiry has been accepted, and are normal for anything longer than a few days.

Most reply within a day or two. If you do not hear back, our team will chase the listing owner for you, and where we can we will send you a shortlist of similar spaces so you are not left waiting. Inquiring on a few spaces rather than one is still the most effective thing you can do, because the better locations move quickly.

Cancellation terms form part of what you agree with the listing owner and vary by space and by how close to the start date you cancel. The terms that apply are shown before you pay. See our terms of service.

No. Storefront rents physical commercial space. It is not related to Shopify’s Storefront API, the WooCommerce Storefront theme, or any online store builder.

Ten years, since 2016, and short-term commercial space has been the whole business throughout. Thousands of spaces have been listed with us worldwide over that period.