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A Mobile Boutique Retail Tiny House in Orlando, Florida

Not every tiny house is a home. This 8 x 24 build in Orlando was designed in 2019 as a mobile boutique — a retail unit with storefront display rather than a kitchen and a bed — and it is a useful reminder that the tiny-build trade extends well past housing.

Commercial tiny builds solve a different problem: they need power and display frontage rather than sleeping and sanitation, and they trade parking permits for retail licensing. As a category they have quietly grown into food trucks, salons, offices, and pop-up shops.

Editor’s note: this unit was listed at $92,500 in 2022 and has sold. Current listings are linked below.
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Inside a Mobile Boutique Build


The tiny house is 8ft wide and 24ft long and even has display windows.

Inside there’s plenty of space for customers to explore products.

It has air-conditioning and two fitting rooms.

You can see the fitting rooms in the shot below.

The boutique tiny house looks very welcoming.

It’s perfect for art shows, festivals, and other events.

Looks like they even managed to get into malls on occasion.

With a retail store on wheels, you can move with the seasons.

It was built in June of 2019 and weighs about 10,000lbs.

A Retail Unit Rather Than a Home

Design Details

  • It was built in June of 2019
  • “Boutique” retail tiny house
  • Store-front on wheels
  • Air-conditioning
  • Two fitting rooms
  • Display windows
  • 8ft wide
  • 24ft long
  • 192-sq.-ft.
  • Weighs 10,000lbs.
  • Dual generators
  • 50 amp panel / 220W
  • Move with the seasons
  • Great for pop up shops, gift shops, fashion, art, and other forms of retail
  • Works great at festivals, art shows, and other events
  • Original asking price: $92,500 (2022, sold)

What a Commercial Tiny Build Changes

  • Frontage replaces floor plan. A retail build optimises for display and customer flow, not sleeping and storage — the opposite of a dwelling.
  • Licensing, not parking, is the constraint. Where a THOW fights zoning, a mobile retail unit fights business permits and event contracts.
  • Power demand is higher than you would guess. Lighting a storefront and running a POS all day draws more than a house of the same size.
  • Resale is a narrower market. Fewer buyers want a retail shell — which is also why they can be picked up well below build cost.

Learn more

Looking for Tiny Houses Currently For Sale?

This boutique unit sold in 2022. Here’s what’s currently for sale.

Browse all current tiny houses for sale »

A few recent listings worth a look:

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Alex

Alex Pino is the founder of Tiny House Talk, a leading resource on tiny homes and simple living since 2009. He helps readers discover unique homes, connect with builders, and explore alternative living.
{ 6 comments… add one }
  • Janet
    January 12, 2022, 3:26 pm

    This is just darling! I would definitely wander inside if I saw this at a mall/pop-up event.

    • Marsha Cowan
      January 15, 2022, 3:10 pm

      Does the price include any of the retail merchandise?

  • Colin
    January 13, 2022, 2:32 am

    Seems like a lot of money for something so simple – no bathroom, no kitchen, none of the appliances that would add expense to the cost of a build.

    • James D.
      January 13, 2022, 4:15 pm

      Simple is relative, designing a space for commercial usage has a lot of costs of its own. Just the storefront window display can cost more than an entire kitchen. Storefronts typically has to use more durable tempered glass that can cost hundred to thousands each, it has to be easy to maintain and provide a display area that won’t interfere with the function of the interior store space and that can be harder to do when it is also part of the interior shopping area, it can need special filters to protect the merchandise on display from UV, excessive heat, may need special lighting system, security system, etc.

      While much of the interior would have to handle a lot of foot traffic, people touching and handling things, etc. Commercial store products and services are usually priced higher than consumer range, especially when time sensitive, which is often the case with a business…

      While purchasing this is basically purchasing a ready to go business, which is part of its value if you’re looking to run your own business that could save a lot of time and money on getting set up and have it generate revenue… The cost and benefit considerations are just different than a residential design and there’s lots of things that can add costs besides just kitchen, bathrooms, and appliances… Like the dual generators, for example, is an additional cost that isn’t cheap…

      • Colin
        January 13, 2022, 5:01 pm

        Ultimately, of course, it doesn’t really matter what you or I think of the value proposition; it’s worth what someone is willing to pay for it. That said, I’d be surprised if they get what they’re asking, but I’ve been surprised before.

        • James D.
          January 13, 2022, 5:32 pm

          Well, it shouldn’t be that much of a surprise. Commercial properties are normally more expensive than residential and financing can be harder to get as it’s generally viewed as higher risk as businesses can fail and not everyone will be in it for up to 30+ years like a home mortgage.

          While there’s also the fact the cost of everything has gone up, especially real estate, but the value of the dollar has gone down due to rapid inflation… To put that in perspective, prices are 1.62 times higher than average prices since 2000, and that was before the added factors of the supply chain issues, higher gas prices, etc. making it all worse…

          Not to mention other factors effecting especially small businesses with restrictions and other costs for operating traditional store front properties that has caused thousands to close their doors in the last two years.

          So it’s something to realize how these prices actually reflect today’s market and the new normal…

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