Retail Store Design in Vancouver
Ark & Mason designs and builds retail stores in Vancouver and across the Lower Mainland. One team handles the retail interior design, permits, custom millwork and construction, so your store opens the way it was drawn.
If you have leased a unit or are comparing spaces, this page explains what retail design covers, how we work, and which stores we have completed.
What retail design has to do
A store has to do more than look good. The layout guides customers from the door to the product and on to the till. Lighting and displays show the product properly. Storage, staff areas and accessibility have to fit in the same footprint, and the whole plan has to pass permit review.
We design for all of these together, then build what we designed through our commercial design-build team.
Retail spaces we design and build
Shops and boutiques
Layout, fixtures, lighting and custom millwork displays planned around how customers move and buy.
Food retail and counters
Service counters, equipment layout and health-permit requirements coordinated with the design. Oakberry Acai in Richmond is a 475 sq ft food-retail unit completed in 2026.
Salons, spas and wellness retail
Client-facing spaces where treatment areas and retail displays share the floor. Yuen Spa on West Pender is a 3,800 sq ft retail spa completed in 2022; Liveo on Kingsway is a 930 sq ft wellness retail space completed in 2023; Stone Fox Hair is a 700 sq ft salon in Vancouver.
John Ross Insurance
John Ross Insurance
Polygon Health
Polygon Health
Motus Engineering Office
Motus Engineering Office
Physiolab Little Mountain
PHYSIOLAB LITTLE MOUNTAIN
Headicure Head Spa
Headicure Head Spa
Meraki Beauty Bar
Meraki Beauty Bar
Our retail design process
- Review the unit and the lease. We check the base building, landlord design criteria and any tenant improvement allowance.
- Plan the layout. Customer flow, sightlines, till position, storage and staff areas.
- Design and 3D renderings. Materials, lighting, fixtures and signage locations, shown before anything is built.
- Drawings and permits. Construction drawings, engineering coordination and the permit application.
- Custom millwork and fixtures. Displays, counters and shelving built for the space.
- Construction and handover. We manage the trades and the schedule, then hand over with time to stock and train.
Why retailers choose Ark & Mason
- Design and construction in one team. The people who draw the store also build it.
- Custom millwork. Displays and counters are made for your product, not picked from a catalogue.
- Landlord and permit experience. We deal with landlords, building managers and city reviewers.
- Local projects. Completed retail spaces in Vancouver and Richmond.
- Trust. Ark & Mason holds a 5.0 rating across 36 Google reviews.
What Our Customers Say
Frequently asked questions
A retail designer plans the store layout, fixtures, lighting, materials and displays, and produces the drawings needed for permits and construction.
Yes. We provide commercial design-build, so the same team manages permits, millwork and construction.
Yes. We review the lease and the landlord’s criteria before design starts and bring the landlord’s team into approvals.
We have completed retail units under 500 sq ft as well as spaces of several thousand square feet.
Before you sign the lease if you can, so the unit and the allowance suit the store you plan to build.
Tell us about your store and your opening date. Call (604) 307-9669 or book a meeting to talk about retail design in Vancouver.