Retail Renovation Contractor NYC

Retail Renovations

Storefront and retail build-out

Open the store on the rent-commencement date.

Retail schedules are driven by the lease. Perennial Empire builds backward from the rent-commencement date, stress-tests the DOB approval path and long-lead millwork against the opening, and coordinates the landlord's construction manager early so sign-offs never stall mobilization. We self-perform under all three labor regimes: open shop, prevailing wage, and union project labor agreements. The same in-house crew runs the work under whichever one your project requires.

  • Storefront, signage, and facade work
  • Interior build-outs to operator standards
  • MEP, electrical, and code-compliance upgrades
  • Brand-standard rollouts across multiple stores
Tell Us About Your Build-Out
New York City skyscrapers against a clear sky, the backdrop for Perennial Empire retail build-out work.

By the numbers

$100M+

of renovation work completed

Self-performed across New York City since 2017, with buildings kept occupied throughout.

90+
W-2 tradespeople on staff Seven in-house trades, not a brokered subcontractor list.
3,000+
units renovated Occupied co-ops, condos, and rentals across the city.
5
boroughs served One Harlem-headquartered NYC operation.

Founded 2017. Licensed general contractor, fully bonded and insured.

Retail renovation scopes we handle

  1. Storefront & Facade Work

    Storefront replacement, signage installation, awnings, facade repairs, and Landmarks-coordinated exterior work. BSA and variance support where zoning requires it.

  2. Interior Build-Outs

    Flooring, fixtures, lighting, fitting rooms, cash-wrap construction, back-of-house stockrooms, and employee areas. Delivered to operator standards with sample reference packages signed off before rollout.

  3. MEP & Code Compliance

    Electrical service upgrades, HVAC reconfiguration, plumbing for restrooms and break rooms, and fire-alarm and sprinkler modifications, all filed under a single permit package through our expediter of record.

  4. Brand-Standard Rollouts

    Operator-spec finishes, fixture packages, signage, and lighting executed to brand tolerances. Repeat rollouts across multiple NYC storefronts coordinated on a single master schedule to keep mobilizations efficient.

  5. Build-out coming up?

    Tell us about your retail scope.

    Schedule a Walkthrough

Landlord and code coordination

The Certificate of Occupancy stays valid through the work.

Every NYC retail renovation sits on a work letter, a lease alteration clause, and often Landmarks or BSA review. We pull the lease provisions at scoping and manage DOB filings so the store opens under a valid Certificate of Occupancy, with ADA upgrades bundled in where code triggers them.

  • Work-letter and lease-clause review
  • C of O and Alt-CO management
  • ADA entrance, bathroom, and circulation upgrades
  • Landmarks coordination on designated facades
Request a Quote
Midtown Manhattan skyline, where Perennial Empire has self-performed renovation work since 2017.

Retail build-out and refresh process

  1. Rent-Commencement-Driven Scheduling

    Schedule built backward from the lease rent-commencement date. DOB approval path and long-lead millwork stress-tested against the opening date so the store is not paying rent on a closed shell.

  2. Landlord Coordination

    Work letter, lease alteration clause, and facade-design approval reviewed at scoping. Landlord's construction manager looped in before permitting so landlord sign-offs do not stall mobilization.

  3. C of O & Alt-CO Management

    Certificate of Occupancy kept valid through the renovation. Alt-CO path coordinated where the renovation changes use or occupancy so the store can open under a valid Temporary Certificate of Occupancy.

  4. ADA & Compliance Bundling

    Entrance, bathroom, and circulation upgrades bundled into cosmetic refreshes where code triggers them. Landmarks coordination on storefronts when the renovation touches a designated facade.

  5. Ready for a proposal?

    Send us your retail build-out scope.

    Request a Quote

Retail landlord and operator questions

Can you complete a retail renovation while the store stays open, or is a temporary closure required?

Both are possible and the right answer depends on scope. Cosmetic refreshes (paint, fixtures, lighting, visual-merchandising updates) can run overnight with the store open during business hours. Full interior renovations with flooring replacement, MEP reconfiguration, or new storefront systems typically need a temporary closure (1 to 4 weeks for most NYC footprints) because dust, noise, and trade overlap make open-hours operation impractical. We scope both options at estimate time so the operator can weigh lost sales against construction cost.

How do you coordinate storefront and interior renovations with landlord approvals and Certificate of Occupancy requirements?

Every retail renovation in NYC sits on top of a landlord work letter, a lease alteration clause, and (for storefront changes) landlord facade-design approval and possibly BSA or Landmarks review. We pull the lease provisions at scoping, sit with the landlord's construction manager before permitting, and manage DOB filings to keep the Certificate of Occupancy valid through the work. If the renovation changes use or occupancy, we coordinate the Alt-CO path so the store can open under a valid Temporary Certificate of Occupancy.

Do you handle ADA-compliance upgrades to retail entrances, bathrooms, and circulation paths?

Yes. ADA-compliance work is a common wedge for NYC retail, especially older storefronts with a step-up entrance or non-compliant bathrooms. Typical upgrades include ramp or vestibule reconfiguration, door hardware swaps, bathroom grab bars and clearances, counter height adjustments, and signage. For landmarked storefronts we coordinate with the Landmarks Preservation Commission on any exterior change. ADA work can usually be bundled into a broader refresh to keep mobilization costs down.

What is your typical turnaround for a retail build-out or refresh in Manhattan?

For a typical 1,500–3,500 square foot Manhattan storefront refresh (paint, finishes, fixtures, lighting, minor MEP): 4–6 weeks from mobilization to open. For a full build-out in a previously white-boxed space: 8–12 weeks. For a gut build-out of a space that needs new MEP and a Certificate of Occupancy: 12–20 weeks, paced by DOB approvals and long-lead-time millwork. Rent-commencement clauses in the lease often drive the schedule, and we build backward from that date.

Can you source materials and finishes to match a national retail brand standard?

Yes. For brand-standard rollouts we source against the operator's spec book (approved vendors, brand-matched finishes, fixture packages, lighting, and signage) and execute to brand-approved tolerances. If the brand has a construction-manager-of-record on other NYC builds, we coordinate with them; if we are being brought in as the brand's new NYC GC, we build a sample reference package for sign-off before the first storefront opens.

Retail renovation

Send us your retail build-out scope.

We will scope storefront and interior work, coordinate the landlord and DOB path, and build the schedule backward from your opening date.

Request a Quote