The first malls appeared on the scene in the early 1960s and today it is hard to find a city anywhere that does not have a mall of a certain size, even if it is just a few malls. As a contractor in years past, you may have visited the hardware store on High Street to buy your screws and nails, but now most professionals head to the contractor’s desk at the nearest home improvement store. So what does this have to do with anything other than a brief history of how malls have swept the nation?

The next time you walk through your local mall or pass through the malls in your city, take a look at all the empty spaces they may have. Construction companies have struggled in this economy, but many small retailers have had it just as hard. Large chain stores can often run an underperforming location with other stores that have better sales, but a small local retailer may not make it if sales don’t meet expectations. While this is a sad situation for the shop owner, it may be an opportunity for a new job for your construction company.

Almost every time a new tenant moves into a space in a shopping mall or mall, there is renovation work that needs to take place. Large retailers often have a list of contractors they work with in various regions and it’s worth adding them to those lists whenever possible, but smaller stores often turn to the mall owner for advice on whom to use. contract, especially when the lease provides an allowance for changes.

Working in a tenant space is not much different than any other type of commercial construction and if you are used to home construction, the construction is usually very similar to residential framing, but you are using metal studs. If you’re working in a shopping center, your teams may have to work at night during noisy phases of the project.

Check with your local shopping centers to see if they maintain a list of preferred contractors and what qualifications must be met to be added to the list. The smaller centers are often owned by local businessmen and all you need to do is show up, which can usually be done over lunch or an afternoon on the golf course.