Skip to content
MarketScale
Demo
‹ Back to IndustriesRetail

Re-purposing With A Purpose: Recycled Buildings Bring Back Industry

Re-purposed buildings are not a new trend. For centuries, retailers, restaurateurs and business owners of all kinds have found ways to fit their concepts into unconventional spaces. However, as trends have evolved, there has been a boom in restoring old and unused spaces into fresh, vibrant locations again. Today we look at some of the…

This story was produced through MarketScale. See how Retail teams put it to work with Sales Enablement.

Share
Re-purposing With A Purpose: Recycled Buildings Bring Back Industry

Get featured

Want to get featured in MarketScale Retail?

Create a free MarketScale workspace and get your company's expertise featured across our Retail coverage. No credit card, no demo required.

Start free

Re-purposed buildings are not a new trend. For centuries, retailers, restaurateurs and business owners of all kinds have found ways to fit their concepts into unconventional spaces. However, as trends have evolved, there has been a boom in restoring old and unused spaces into fresh, vibrant locations again.

Today we look at some of the most creative redesign concepts to see what can be done with spaces that most would think of as inhospitable.

Retail

Recently, retailers are adding an identity and theme to their stores by re-purposing old buildings. Whether it is a hollowed out factory or even an abandoned firehouse, retailers are becoming eye-catching locations thanks to former eye sores.

Green Front's re-purposed warehouses and restored buildings form the centerpiece of Farmville's historic downtown. Come visit! #shopgreenfront #farmvilleva pic.twitter.com/IOI4LyhbwA
— GreenFrontFurniture (@GreenFrontNews) December 21, 2017

Again, speaking of lost buildings…this #Medhat firehall was repurposed into a jewellry store in 2017. Before and after photos of Roset by Reid https://t.co/s1eGqWKEK2 and the writeup https://t.co/H8FQfKXzgW #MedicineHat pic.twitter.com/QmsLtEyzx9
— I am Tracy Hyatt (@iamtracyhyatt) March 30, 2018

When in #Montreal, a stunning overall Flagship must-see @birks – iconic building repurposed to include high-end hotel, restaurant and eye-popping jewellery https://t.co/Q6ALdHB9rx Bravo! #exciting #destination #Retail – photos & article via @RetailInsider_ pic.twitter.com/ia3oCa7Bii
— DJ Brisebois-RCC (@loveretail) June 13, 2018

Restaurants

Restaurants come in all shapes and sizes, from traditional sit down experiences to grab and go food trucks. Naturally, the hospitality industry lends itself to re-purposed spaces of all kinds.

https://twitter.com/theboxlabs/status/1028694127842676736

In London, a disused garage is being partially converted into studios, restaurants, and more; even parking garages can be re-purposed. | Discover: https://t.co/mBOQFWKlH6 pic.twitter.com/TGdZanBd81
— Petroleum Service Co (@PSCOnlineStore) March 30, 2018

Visited our local church today which, instead of closing down, has been re-purposed to include the local museum, library and a restaurant. Love it!
@PenPure1 @BrannanJulia @Vanilla627 @cbraunnj @annap905 @Annabella1709 @jwb1764 @taft_jenny @GraziaMgb616 @qpdollpink pic.twitter.com/fInjoxaKZG
— Roma Sars (@romasars) April 7, 2018

Churches

Churches are built with as defined a purpose as almost anything. However, that does not mean they cannot be redefined upon the years neglect. Whether it is for work or play, houses of worship can be used by sinners and saints alike.

Old church building re-purposed for skateboarding (Llanera, Spain). pic.twitter.com/eswxcaEc71
— Yung Likes (@elidot) September 8, 2017

Nice story from @NEXTpittsburgh about a church in Braddock being re-purposed as an office … http://t.co/iVTMm8aZIV pic.twitter.com/t2PYksoOMF
— I heart PGH (@iheartpgh) September 5, 2015

Office Space

Modern companies are continuing to seek out new office spaces to separate themselves from typical mundane cubicle-laden floor plans.

https://twitter.com/moodspaces/status/964550987322216450

Re-purposed office spaces have a global appeal, #officedesign, @officefurniturenow, https://t.co/3imvFFNIiW pic.twitter.com/ECtyk62cO0
— Office Furniture NOW (@GreenCubicles) June 12, 2017

Lisbon is now home to a re-purposed co-working space that embraces the idea of green #office design – https://t.co/wUdC09Ud7O pic.twitter.com/LrRUwDNsuS
— Interactive Space (@OfficeRelocate) March 31, 2017

Your experts belong here

Every story in MarketScale Retail starts with a company putting its merchandising leads, store operations teams, and category managers on the record. Buyers are already reading this topic. The only question is whose experts they find.

Category buyers trust operators, so your merchandising leads shorten the distance between first search and first call.

Get your team featuredSee how it works15 minutes, straight to a calendar.
B2B Weekly

The week in Retail, and sixteen other industries, every Monday.

Ten stories, one-line takes, five minutes. Free.

Retail: are you visible to AI?

Before they reach out, Retail buyers ask AI engines which vendors to trust. Explore how your experts, customers, and partners can become useful content for buyers and AI search.

Free plan

You just read one Retail expert. Your company is full of them.

This article was produced through MarketScale. The same platform turns your merchandising leads, store operations teams, and category managers into the articles, video, and social content Retail buyers are searching for. Create a free workspace and see it with your own people. No credit card, no demo required.

NPS +73 · 1,000+ creators · 38+ countries

What you get, free

Your own MarketScale workspace, up to 10 people
One professional video edit a month for qualifying companies
Media requests to your crowd, remote recording, AI writing tools
$0, no credit card, nothing that expires

More Retail Insights

Deloitte: Holiday e-commerce to reach up to $319B in 2026–27

Deloitte: Holiday e-commerce to reach up to $319B in 2026–27

Deloitte forecasts U.S. holiday e-commerce of $316.1 billion to $318.9 billion for November 2026 through January 2027, up 7.5% to 8.4%. Total retail is projected to grow 4% to 4.8% to about $1.7 trillion. The faster online growth rate is a planning input for fulfillment staffing and site readiness.

  • 01Last season's total holiday sales grew 4.1% by Census Bureau count, above the 2.9% to 3.4% range Deloitte had forecast in fall 2025.
  • 02Deloitte's 2025 survey found 33% of U.S. consumers expected to use generative AI somewhere in their holiday shopping; product data quality now matters for machine readers as well as human ones.
  • 03Adobe's and Salesforce's holiday projections landed in late September and October last year, so the next two to six weeks should bring corroborating or conflicting numbers to plan against.

Sep 18, 2026

Club stores drove nearly half of the growth in $330B U.S. store-brand sales

Club stores drove nearly half of the growth in $330B U.S. store-brand sales

Circana reports U.S. private-label sales reached $330 billion, with store brands holding 24% unit share and 23% dollar share of CPG. Club stores drove nearly half of the growth. Circana expects share gains to continue through 2026 at a slower pace as national brands sharpen pricing and innovation.

  • 01Club channels account for nearly half of all U.S. private-brand growth, so a store-brand program benchmarked only against supermarket peers is missing where the volume is actually moving.
  • 02A one-point gap between store-brand unit share (24%) and dollar share (23%) suggests private label is no longer priced far below the market average, which changes the margin math for premium-tier extensions.
  • 03The EU's 50% private-label unit share is more than double the U.S. figure, a reference point for how much headroom exists even as Circana expects the U.S. pace to moderate through 2026.

Sep 17, 2026

Modern Retail: Meta Lab footprint set to nearly double

Modern Retail: Meta Lab footprint set to nearly double

Meta is nearly doubling the store footprint of Meta Lab, its retail concept for Ray-Ban AI glasses, according to Modern Retail. In November 2025, The Wall Street Journal reported on pop-up stores in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Burlingame and New York City. The stores are built for lingering and selfies. That design brief matters for any brand selling a wearable people must try on.

  • 01Meta designed its Meta Lab pop-ups around dwell time and photo-taking, with coffee stations and full-length mirrors; its creative director told The Wall Street Journal the company wants visitors to bring friends and stay a while rather than move through quickly.
  • 02For brands launching a wearable that shoppers need to see on their own face, Meta’s planned store expansion is a real-world reference point for solving the try-on problem.
  • 03The signal to watch is whether the new Meta Lab locations keep the pop-up format the Journal described or shift toward longer-term leases.

Sep 17, 2026

Explore More Retail Insights

Read more expert perspectives from across Retail.

Browse Retail Hub

For Retail teams

See how Retail teams use MarketScale →

Sales Enablement

Explore Channels

Industry news, analysis, and expert perspectives

Professional AV›Engineering & Construction›Education Technology›Healthcare›Energy›Software & Technology›Retail›Business Services›Industrial IoT›Sports & Entertainment›Transportation›Sciences›Building Management›Food & Beverage›Architecture & Design›Hospitality›Marketing Tech›
Keep exploring

More from Retail

Retail hubMore expert Retail coverage.Explore →Sales EnablementEquip the floor and the field.Explore →BrivoAccess tech storytelling.Explore →State of B2B MarketingWhat is working in B2B marketing now.Explore →

For B2B teams

Your experts could be publishing here

Stories like this one run on content MarketScale captures from real practitioners. See how your team's expertise becomes coverage in Retail and beyond.

Book a 15-minute demo

Or call us. No forms required. We pick up. 214-945-2512