Retail, Restaurant & Hospitality

Tourism Retail Moving in Colorado Springs

Gift shops, galleries, and outfitters in Old Colorado City and Manitou Springs moved in the off-season, planned around one door and a curb.

(719) 357-5865
Tourism Retail moving in Colorado Springs: moving crew at work
  • 18+ Years Experience
  • 1,013+ Reviews 5-Star Rated
  • Family Owned Local Business

Start your free tourism retail move quote

verified For estimate purposes only credit_card_off No credit card required

Planning a Tourism Retail Move

Shops that live on visitors make most of their year between Memorial Day and Labor Day, when traffic to Pikes Peak, Garden of the Gods, and Manitou Springs fills the sidewalks. Moving then gives away the season. The practical window is late fall through early spring, when foot traffic is thin and landlords in the historic districts are more flexible about loading.

The buildings are the harder part. Many storefronts in Old Colorado City and along Manitou Avenue are older buildings with a single front door, a step at the threshold, a narrow back room, and sometimes a second-floor shop up a steep stair. Parking is on the street or in a rear alley shared with the restaurant next door. So we plan the carry before we plan the truck: what fits through the door, where the truck can stand, and how long it can stay. Inside, the work is familiar retail: spinner racks, cubbies, gallery bins, gear rails, and a lot of small, breakable stock packed by display.

Who usually signs off
Shop owner or store manager, with the gallery director or outfitter lead confirming what may be packed and moved
Timing that works
November through March, after the fall color and holiday weekends and before spring break, with the summer visitor season treated as a blackout.

What typically moves

  • Postcard spinners and souvenir display racks Emptied into cartons marked by rack, with the spinner heads lifted off their bases and wrapped.
  • Gift-shop cubbies and wooden display shelving Freestanding units padded and carried whole through the door when they fit, and taken apart when they do not.
  • Mugs, glassware, pottery, and souvenir stock Wrapped piece by piece and packed by display, so each shelf can be restocked from one carton group.
  • Gallery print bins and framed work Print bins carried empty. Framed work gets corner protectors and travels on edge in picture cartons.
  • Outfitter gear rails, boot benches, and rental racks Rails break down at the joints; rental bikes or boats are moved by your staff or tagged for our truck.
  • Checkout counter sections and countertop cases Sections split where they were built to, and case glass wrapped separately with its shelves.

Access and scheduling

Street loading drives the day. We walk both addresses and note the curb, the alley, the door width, any step or stair, and the nearest spot a box truck can legally stand. In Manitou Springs, steep side streets and tight turns off Manitou Avenue can rule out a larger truck, so some moves run a smaller truck in more trips. Ask your landlord, or the city if needed, how short-term loading on the street works before we set a date.

In the off-season most shops keep short weekday hours or close a day or two a week, and those closed days are the natural move window. We move back stock and seasonal overflow first, then the sales floor on the last closed day. From November to March, snow and ice on Manitou's hills and on Old Colorado City sidewalks can change the plan quickly, so we pick a backup date at booking. Saturday and Sunday moves are possible too, if you ask.

Protection and handling

Tourism stock is small, fragile, and sold by the piece: mugs, shot glasses, ornaments, jewelry, pottery. We wrap each item and pack it by display so your staff can restock one shelf from one group of cartons. Cartons of glass are marked and ride on top of the load. Jewelry and high-value pieces stay with your staff.

Framed prints and wall art get corner protectors and travel upright in picture cartons. Originals, consignment work, and anything a gallery insures separately are packed by your gallery staff or an art handler, or crated through our custom crating service. Historic storefronts have old floors and door frames, so we pad the frame, lay runners over wood floors, and carry rather than roll across uneven thresholds. On arrival, we set each fixture where your sketch shows and leave the displays for you to dress.

Who does what

Some of this job belongs to other trades. The written plan names each one.

Original artwork and consignment pieces
Your gallery staff or a fine-art handler packs and documents them. We can crate framed work on request.
Rental bikes, boats, and outfitter gear
Your staff check in and move rental fleet items, or tag them for our truck once they are clean and secured.
Wired display lighting and signage
A licensed electrician and your sign maker handle anything wired or mounted, including any sign approval your district requires.

Not part of our work

  • Obtaining street parking or loading permission; the landlord or city arranges that.
  • Packing or valuing original artwork and consignment inventory.
  • Mounting signs or wall displays.

Around Colorado Springs and El Paso County

Old Colorado City's storefronts and the shops along Manitou Avenue in Manitou Springs are the heart of the region's visitor retail, with more shops near the roads to Pikes Peak and the Garden of the Gods. Both districts have older buildings, street parking, and rear alleys. Shops that also sell in Woodland Park or open a second store in Castle Rock face the same summer blackout and the same winter weather.

The crew that shows up

iHaul iMove box truck with its ramp lowered and a hand dolly waitingTwo iHaul iMove movers carrying a stretch-wrapped piece of furniturePadded door frame and a floor runner laid out before a move

Tourism Retail Moving FAQs

Another question? Call (719) 357-5865.

Can we rule out the summer visitor season before choosing a move date?

Yes, and most shops should. We plan for the months between the holiday weekends and spring break, when foot traffic is lowest. If your lease forces a summer date, we move back stock first and the sales floor on your slowest day, and look at an evening start after closing.

What if our Manitou storefront has street parking but no loading bay?

That is common. We check the curb and the nearest alley, how steep the street is, and how far the carry runs. A smaller truck making more trips often works better than a large truck that cannot turn. Your landlord or the city can tell you how short-term loading is handled.

Should gallery prints and original works travel inside their display bins?

No. Prints come out of the bins and travel in flat or picture cartons, and the bins move empty. Originals and consignment pieces should be packed and documented by your gallery staff or an art handler. We can build a crate for a large or valuable piece through our crating service.

Can a counter section go through our single front door?

We measure it first. Many counters were built in sections and come apart at the joints. If a section is too big even apart, we tell you at the walk-through, and your carpenter can decide whether to cut it down or leave it for the landlord.

Related commercial moves

Similar businesses

Related services

Keep exploring

Plan your business move

Tell us both addresses, the building rules you know about, and the dates you cannot move. We will send back a written plan and estimate.

Call (719) 357-5865

Open 24 hours a day

Call Now call 719-357-5865