Retail and business moves
Commercial Movers in the Bay Area
Moves for restaurants, stores, salons, gyms, showrooms and warehouses, planned around your stock, fixtures and opening hours. Full-time ShipShape crews, never subcontractors.
Get a QuoteCommercial moving or office moving?
We run them as two different services, because a store and an office move for different reasons and with different things.
This page
Commercial moving
For businesses built around stock, fixtures and equipment. The goal is getting your doors open again quickly.
Who it's for
- Restaurants and cafes
- Retail stores
- Salons and spas
- Gyms and fitness studios
- Showrooms
- Warehouses and commercial storage
- Other small and mid-sized businesses
What we move
- Inventory and merchandise
- Shelving, racks and displays
- Store fixtures
- Commercial furniture and equipment
- Storage contents
Separate service
Office moving
For businesses where people work at desks. The goal is getting your team back to work with as little downtime as possible.
Who it's for
- Corporate offices and headquarters
- Law firms
- Accounting and financial offices
- Technology companies
- Startups and growing companies
- Professional service firms
- Administrative offices and clinic front offices
- Coworking and shared offices
What we move
- Desks, chairs and cubicles
- Workstations, computers and monitors
- Server and network gear
- Filing cabinets, files and documents
- Conference room furniture
Around your opening hoursAfter-hours and weekend windows protect your trading days.
Stock that stays findablePacked and labeled by category and destination.
Property paperwork handledCOIs, freight elevators and dock times at both properties.
How we plan a commercial move
- On-site walkthroughBefore the move date we visit your location to see the space, the stock, the fixtures and the heavy or awkward items. The written estimate is built from that visit.
- Plan and paperworkA packing and labeling plan for your stock, a load order worked backwards from how the new space is set up, and the certificate of insurance, freight elevator and loading or dock time booked with property management at both addresses.
- Move windowThe crew works after hours, on your closed days or over a weekend, so you lose as little trading time as possible.
- SetupShelving and fixtures are put back together, and stock and furniture are placed by your plan, so you can restock and reopen.
Book one to three weeks ahead, and more for larger moves or anything that needs building paperwork.
Businesses we move
Restaurants and cafes
The challenge: A short gap between closing one location and opening the next, with tables, chairs, shelving and storage to set up in order.
How we handle it: What the new space needs first goes on the truck last, moved after hours or on closed days. Kitchen gas, water and electrical disconnects are for your own technician.
Retail stores
The challenge: Merchandise, racks, displays, fixtures and back-room stock. Unsorted stock means days of lost trading.
How we handle it: Stock packed and labeled by category, shelving and fixtures taken apart and rebuilt, after-hours or weekend windows.
Salons and spas
The challenge: Styling chairs, stations, mirrors, reception furniture and product stock, with appointments booked to closing.
How we handle it: Mirrors wrapped, product boxed by type, and the move timed between your last and first appointments. Plumbing and electrical disconnects are for your own technician.
Gyms and fitness studios
The challenge: Heavy equipment, benches, mats and mirrors, often through difficult entrances or upstairs.
How we handle it: Every heavy piece checked on the walkthrough. Weight decides the method, and we tell you before the move if something can't be moved safely.
Showrooms
The challenge: Display furniture and fragile presentation pieces that have to look right on arrival.
How we handle it: Display pieces wrapped and carried, not stacked, and labeled to their place in the new showroom.
Warehouses and commercial storage
The challenge: Boxed inventory, shelving contents and equipment that must stay findable.
How we handle it: Labeled by location, loaded in order and placed by your plan, with dock times booked at both ends. No industrial machinery.
Other small and mid-sized businesses
The challenge: Studios, clinics, workshops and businesses that don't fit a category, usually with one or two items that decide the whole plan.
How we handle it: The walkthrough finds those items early, and the estimate is built around them.
Case study
Indoor trees and plants: an ongoing partnership
For several years we've moved mature indoor trees and planters for a Bay Area company that installs greenery in offices and businesses.
- Every planter wrapped individually, with each tree's route planned by its whole shape.
- Plants loaded upright by size, weight and shape, with room around the foliage.
- Delivered to reception, offices and common areas, not left at the door.
Tell us what kind of business you're moving and both addresses, and we'll schedule a visit.
Commercial moves around the Bay Area
Street access and loading rules decide most commercial moves. Open a city to see what we plan for there.
San Francisco
Street-level shops and restaurants depend on curb access, and colored curb rules still apply. We plan the move around the SFMTA temporary no-parking or loading-zone permit and the building's allowed hours. When the truck can't park close, we shuttle from the nearest legal loading point.
Example: A cafe moving across the Mission has to clear one space and set up the other in a short window, so the truck is loaded in the order the new space is built out.
Oakland
Oakland commercial moves run from Piedmont Avenue and Grand Avenue storefronts to warehouse conversions and the East Oakland industrial corridor. On busy retail streets we load from a side street or alley rather than the avenue itself, and for warehouse buildings we check ceiling height, door width and dock access before move day.
Example: A retailer moving to another Oakland storefront needs merchandise, shelving, displays and back-room stock packed and unloaded in a set order, so the new store can be set up quickly.
Berkeley
We're based on Addison Street. Many Berkeley blocks, including those with shops, restaurants and small commercial spaces, are permit-parking or two-hour zones, so we plan the truck position and any short-term permit the city requires. We also move businesses between Berkeley, Emeryville, Oakland and Alameda.
San Jose
San Jose properties often have gated entries and shared garages, and bigger commercial jobs can need more than one truck. We time the drive around 101, 280, 87 and 880 so both ends of the move stay on schedule.
Example: A business moving stock and shelving between two South Bay commercial spaces may need two trucks and a weekend window to be open again on Monday.
Palo Alto
Downtown Palo Alto's commercial corridors are busy: loading space on University Avenue is limited and nearby blocks have permit parking with time limits. We plan where the truck goes, and any temporary permit, before the crew arrives.
Examples illustrate typical moves; they are not specific customer jobs.
Moving a store, restaurant or warehouse in the Bay Area? We'll come to your location and build the estimate around it.
Commercial move questions
What types of businesses do you move?
Restaurants and cafes, retail stores, salons and spas, gyms and fitness studios, showrooms, warehouses and commercial storage, clinics, studios and other small and mid-sized businesses. Offices have their own office moving service.
Do you visit before giving a price?
Yes. We visit your location before the move date and build the written estimate around what your business needs.
Can you move us after hours or on a weekend?
Yes. After-hours and weekend windows are common for shops and restaurants, so you keep your trading days.
How far ahead should we book?
One to three weeks is typical, and more for larger moves or anything that needs building paperwork.
Can you move retail inventory and store fixtures?
Yes. Stock is packed and labeled by category, and shelving, racks and fixtures are taken apart and reassembled.
Do you pack the stock, or should we?
Either. If you pack, sort by category and mark where each category goes in the new space. If you'd rather not, our crew can pack it.
Can a restaurant use ShipShape for a relocation?
Yes. We move tables, chairs, shelving, front-of-house furniture and storage contents. Gas, water and electrical disconnects on kitchen equipment need your own technician, and on the walkthrough we confirm which kitchen items our crew moves.
Do you move salon and spa furniture?
Yes. Styling chairs, stations, mirrors, reception furniture, shelving and product stock. Plumbing and electrical disconnects need your own technician.
Can you move gym equipment?
Yes. Weight decides the method. We check every heavy piece on the walkthrough and tell you before the move if something needs special equipment or can't be moved safely.
Do you move warehouse and storage contents?
Yes. Boxed inventory, shelving contents and equipment, labeled and placed by your plan. We don't do industrial machinery rigging.
Can you work with our property manager?
Yes. We match the certificate of insurance to the exact holder name and address they ask for, confirm it's accepted, and book the freight elevator or dock time. How mover COIs work
Who does the move, and are you insured?
Full-time ShipShape employees, never subcontractors. We carry general liability, cargo and workers' compensation coverage.
Booking: a written estimate before you book, and at least 48 hours' notice to cancel.
Rates and estimates · Booking policies · Licensing and insurance
Relocating a corporate or professional office? Learn more about our office moving services.
Plan your commercial move
Tell us what kind of business it is and both addresses. We'll schedule a visit to your location and build the estimate around what your business needs.