Small Warehouse Space for Rent: Atlanta

Looking for a small warehouse space for rent in Atlanta? You’re not alone. As of 2022, there were 1.2 million small businesses in Georgia. Between the organizations that support businesses, government incentives, and its ideal location, Atlanta has a lot to offer small business owners. 

But you already knew that, didn’t you? You’ve likely been running your business for at least six months and are ready to expand into a warehouse space. 

Here’s everything you need to know before renting a warehouse in Atlanta, Georgia.

What qualifies as a warehouse?

A warehouse is technically a commercial building that stores goods for a commercial purpose. But, as most small business owners know, a ‘warehouse’ can have a much broader definition. Your warehouse could technically be a pod, or a storage unit. Or, your garage or a room in your home could double as a ‘warehouse’ while your business is expanding. 

As long as it stores your raw materials, finished goods, or products, you could refer to it as a ‘warehouse’. But, eventually businesses grow out of the unofficial-warehouse-space and need somewhere that’s dedicated to storing goods. 

Warehouses can vary greatly in size, layout, and amenities. It can also be operated by your business, or a third party provider (like a drop-shipping company). 

Perks of Renting a Small Warehouse Space in Atlanta

There are lots of perks when it comes to renting a small warehouse space in Atlanta. By starting out with a small space, rather than a traditional, large warehouse, you’ll avoid signing a long-lease for more warehouse space than you likely need. This saves your organization money – which is essential for any business, but especially small to medium businesses. 

This can also help you grow your business slowly and add new systems without making them overly complicated. 

You’ll expand your business outside your home. If you’ve been storing all your custom-made hatchets in your guest bedroom, imagine how much easier it’s going to be to have guests over without having to move boxes so they can get to the bed. 

This should also help with your work/life balance as you can hire employees who don’t have to know where you live to come to work. And, when you leave work for the day you likely won’t be tempted to drive across town to finish small tasks – like you might be if you only have to walk to your garage. 

Investing in a warehouse can help your business operate more efficiently. By only paying for the space you need and expanding slowly you can optimize inventory levels, minimize transportation costs, and improve order fulfillment. 

If you pick a co-warehousing space, you’ll also be joining a community of other professionals. You’ll be surrounded by small business owners who you can talk shop with, learn from, and work with. 

While small warehouse spaces are great, make sure you get a big enough space for your business to grow into it over the next couple of months. This can help you avoid clutter, sloppy storage layouts, and damaging your products.

Things to Look for in an Atlanta Warehouse

Once you know that you’re ready to rent a small warehouse space, here are some things you should look for. 

A Great Location

There are multiple factors to consider when it comes to picking a great location. The factors that are most important will depend on your business. Do you need to be close to your customers? For example, if you own a home staging business, you likely want to be located in as central of an area as possible. 

Do you need to be near markets? If you sell your hatchets at local markets and a couple of stores, you may want to find a small warehouse in Atlanta for rent that’s centralized to the multiple places you take your products to. 

Do you ship your products all over the world? Then you may want to be near transportation corridors to transport your products on highways, railways, or airlines. 

Some popular neighborhoods in Atlanta to rent warehouses include West Midtown, Southside Industrial Corridor, College Park, and the Fulton Industrial District. 

Flexible Contracts

While renting a warehouse can feel like a big leap, a flexible contract can put your anxiety at ease. Many small warehouses will allow you to rent from month to month, or with a shorter agreement, so if you need to expand you can. Or, if the warehouse isn’t working, you won’t be locked into a multi-year lease. 

Security

When you rent a warehouse, your intention is to keep your products safe. That can only happen if safety protocols are in place. Look for a warehouse that has security cameras, a front desk team, key pads, fences, and other security systems to protect your products. 

These features can also play a role in the times that you can access your warehouse. While security is important, you want to make sure you can get to the warehouse when you need to – regardless of the time. 

Community

While not something you may commonly think of when looking for a warehouse space, community can dramatically improve your warehouse experience. Especially when renting a small warehouse space. Look for a co-warehouse, which allows you to rent a small warehouse space alongside other small business owners. 

Together, you can share experiences, learn from one another, partner on projects, place bulk orders, and bulk ship for cost saving. 

A co-warehouse is similar to a flex space for lease in Atlanta, but they aren’t exactly the same. Follow the link to learn more about their differences. 

Amenities

Make a dream list of everything a warehouse would have that could make your life easier. This could include things like:

• Loading Docks
• Warehouse Equipment
• Industrial Racking
• Wifi
• On-site Management
• Conference Rooms
• Office Spaces
• Kitchens
• Carrier Pick-Ups
• Mail and Package Handling

Many co-warehouses, and some small warehouses will have some or all of these options. 

How big is a small warehouse?

A small warehouse can be as small as 200 to 500 square feet. This is a common size for co-warehouses, where tenants share the cost of a larger warehouse that’s separated into smaller warehouse spaces to accommodate growing businesses. 

That said, a ‘small’ warehouse really depends on your industry. For someone who makes beaded goods, a 200-square foot warehouse could be plenty of space. 

For someone who sells patio furniture, a 5,000-square foot warehouse could feel small. Both sizes could help a business keep their inventory levels low and manage their cash flow to grow their business sustainably. 

Starting out with a warehouse that’s the right size for your business can impact the cost, efficiency, and effectiveness of your business. 

In Atlanta, the average warehouse size is somewhere between 20,000 to 50,000 square feet. 

How much does a warehouse cost per square foot in Atlanta? 

It’s hard to say exactly how much a warehouse costs per square foot in Atlanta. There are a lot of factors that can impact the overall price. Some examples are the neighborhood the warehouse is in, if fees (like utilities) are included in the price, ceiling clearing height, dock doors, drive in doors, column space, power capacity, condition, quality, parking, warehouse equipment, and more.

Like anything, the warehouse market is impacted by supply and demand. As demand goes up, warehouses are able to increase their rates. The more desirable the warehouse, the higher rental rate they can charge. 

Also, sometimes it makes sense to rent a little bit of extra space. When you rent more space, the cost per square foot tends to be lower compared to renting a smaller space. Keep this in mind if you expect to grow your business in the near future. 

How much should I budget for a warehouse space for rent in Atlanta?

How much you should budget for a warehouse space for rent in Atlanta depends on a variety of factors like how much space you need, your desired location, what amenities are important to you, and your desired level of security. 

Once you know the space and amenities you need, you can begin calling around to warehouses to tour facilities and ask about pricing. 

A Big Step Forward: Renting A Small Warehouse in Atlanta

67.7% of new small businesses fail in their first year. Only 48.9% survive until year five. Normally they fail for reasons like a lack of funding, retaining a lackluster management team, faulty infrastructure or business model, or unsuccessful marketing initiatives. 

By strategically picking a small warehouse that’s a great fit for your business, you can avoid building out faulty infrastructure. 

Taking risks may feel uncomfortable, but they’re essential for the survival of your small business. If you’re interested in a small warehouse space for rent in Atlanta, Georgia, book a tour. 

We’d love to show you around facilities and see if we have the right small warehouse space for you!