The Contractor Store aims to simplify work life for trades professionals

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Co-working spaces certainly are not a new concept, yet few, if any, have been created solely for the construction trades industry.

Which is why Michael Murano believes his shared services model for independent contractors will streamline their businesses and allow carpenters, roofers, framers, painters and other trades professionals to focus on projects, not paperwork.

The Contractor Store — located at 2633 West Ridge Road in Greece — will provide office space, a meeting room and ancillary services to trades professionals while also serving as a one-stop shop for consumers who need work done on their homes.

“There are hats that contractors are just not good at wearing,” Murano said. “They wear them anyway, but these are the things that prevent them from being good.

“Here, they can take the bookkeeping hat off, the accounting hat off, the sales hat off and just worry about the jobsite. If you give the contractors some resources and a little help, they become top-notch contractors.”

The Contractor Store will operate as a centralized support hub. Contractors will rent space, from a single desk to a glass-enclosed office, and receive a business address unique to their firm. The store gives them access to marketing, scheduling, payroll and other services, as well as 24-hour access to their office, and their logo will be affixed to the building’s window.

During normal business hours, homeowners will have access to affiliated contractors and can solicit bids or book work.

While store’s official launch will be celebrated by town officials on Feb. 6, a soft opening began last month. The sign on the building — as well as the van parked along West Ridge Road that featured The Contractor Store branding — sparked curiosity.

Murano said his target audience is the small- to medium-sized firm, the one-person owner who is overseeing the jobsite while also juggling scheduling, marketing, payroll and the ordering of materials.

The busier they are, the more they need what The Contractor Store offers, Murano said. Whether they know it or not.

“I talked to a guy the other day and he said, ‘I’m slammed right now, I wouldn’t need more work if you gave it to me,’ ” Murano recalled. “He’s exactly who does need us. I asked him, ‘When are you doing your bookkeeping, when are you doing your estimates?

“If you offload those two or three hats, you’ll make more money and have a better work/life balance.”

Two of Murano’s construction firms, Fine Touch Painting and JSM Roofing, LLC, are part of The Contractor Store family. He understands very well the requirements of a small business owner.

The idea for the co-work space morphed out of an idea he had several years ago. He envisioned a roaming homeowners association service that would be based on a subscription.

“It would take the parts of an HOA that people like,” he said.

The Contractor Store incorporates some of the same concepts. There are added benefits for contractors, too. The small painting firm is likely only receiving a modest discount from suppliers. But the buying leverage of 10 or 15 firms triggers higher discounts.

“You end up with the buying power of a large company,” he said.

The store also can provide protection for consumers. All members are vetted, Murano said, and they must meet certain benchmarks to remain part of the network.

The set-up and size of the Greece location isn’t necessarily what he envisions long-term. “This space is large enough to get the proof of concept done,” he said.

He plans to open another location on the east side, perhaps by next year, and then move into the Buffalo and Syracuse markets.

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