A client recently hired me to find a 10,000 SF industrial facility to lease for his fitness boutique concept in Palmetto, Florida. This has proven to be a difficult task.
Palmetto has seen rapid growth over the last few years, and industrial space of this size zoned flex or light industrial is scarce. Because of the Port of Manatee, much of the industrial land is zoned Heavy Industrial, which won’t work for my client’s needs.
Starting With the Available Market
I began my search on CoStar, Crexi, and LoopNet, looking for a space with 30–40 parking spots, access to main roads, and strong visibility. Despite the local growth, there simply aren’t enough properties on the market that match this criteria. The area’s development has been broad — residential, hospitality, and a lot of retail and shopping centers — but the large industrial warehouses being built cater to established national tenants, not small, independent businesses like my client’s.
After exhausting the “For Lease” listings, I moved on to “For Sale” listings.
Looking Beyond “For Lease”
My client isn’t ready to buy, but I know that with the right offer, an owner will sometimes choose to lease rather than let a property sit vacant. That approach hasn’t turned up much success either.
So what do you do when the market doesn’t offer an obvious answer? You solve the problem.
Going Beyond the Listings
That means combing through every property in the area that fits the criteria and calling each owner directly, even the ones not actively marketing their space. It’s a tremendous amount of effort, and yes, it is exactly as time-consuming as it sounds. But finding the right space in my client’s preferred area is the goal, and getting creative when the obvious paths run out is what sets my approach apart. It’s how I help clients achieve what they’re looking for, even when the market says it isn’t there.
The Search Continues
The search for this particular 10,000 SF space is still ongoing. But when the conventional search stops producing viable options, that’s when the work becomes more creative.
For businesses looking for commercial space in a competitive market, the answer isn’t always going to be sitting on a listing website. Sometimes finding the right property means understanding the local market, knowing what won’t work, and being willing to look beyond what’s currently being advertised.
If you’re looking for commercial space in Palmetto or elsewhere in the area, we’d be happy to help you explore what’s available and look for opportunities that may not be obvious from the listings alone. Contact me to discuss what you’re looking for and how we can help with your search.