Living above a storefront has its advantages—you can wake up and stroll downstairs to your closest coffee shop, or you could even make a quick stop for much-needed supplies.
Known as “vertical villages,” mixed-use developments combine two or more uses—typically residential and commercial—into one space. And many of these mixed-use communities feature restaurants, bars, and shops on the ground floor, with hundreds of apartments above.
In 2021, an impressive 43,700 apartments were built in mixed-use communities, compared to just 10,000 apartments in 2012, according to a report from from RentCafe.
Even big box stores are getting in on the mixed-use trend: In September, Los Angeles broke ground for a new Costco store which will feature 800 rental apartments above.
But there are downsides to living above a business.
“There are plenty of things to do right outside your doorstep,” says Doug Perry, a strategic financing advisor at HouseCashin. “That is also the worst thing about this type of property. When you want to have a quiet night at home, you are still right in the heart of activity.”
Perry also notes that if the property in question is a condo, rather than a rented apartment, he warns that some may have a hard time selling, especially for a price they’d like.
Ryan Bullock, a real estate advisor at Real Estate Bees also warns moving into newer construction buildings may not have the sound-proofing tenants desire.
“Many developers rush to put up these new mixed-use buildings so they can hurry up and get them rented out,” he says. “If you live above a noisy store, that could cause issues in your everyday life.”
It’s convenient to live above a shop you frequent
TikTok user @taylorgmcdonald, shows that there can be some serious advantages to living over a bodega.
In a video, she’s seen getting up from her couch, riding an elevator down, leaving her apartment building, walking up a set of stairs, and heading into a corner market. In the caption, she writes: “lil post pilates snack run.”
Clearly, other people think living above a market is convenient, as another TikTok user even wrote in the comments that this arrangement is “My dream.”
Living above a coffee shop can also have its perks, especially in the mornings. In another TikTok video, apartment dweller @zoesparks23 shows how convenient it is to live above a cafe.
In the clip, she shares a video walking out her door, around the corner, and into a cute coffee shop. In the caption she wrote, “Life is good sometimes.”
Another user commented to highlight another perk of living above a coffee shop, stating that when they lived above one, they “never had to buy wifi.”
However, it might be too easy to spend money
Having a store or coffee shop right downstairs might be convenient, but living above a business could also get expensive.
For example, one woman, @_stephanievaldez, posted online about living above a Target. In the video, she walks into her hallway and takes an elevator down to a Target store. In the caption, she calls this easy access, “One of the best perks living in my apartment,” but others expressed concerns in the comments section.
“You don’t even have to go outside?! I’d be so broke,” one TikTok user wrote.
“This is DANGEROUS,” said another.
Another woman, @racheldallask, posted about living above a mall. In her TikTok video, she leaves her apartment and soon finds herself outside a beauty supply store, giving a thumbs up sign. “POV: You live above the mall and need something from Sephora.”
In the comments section, she mentions that the mall features lots of other desirable stores like Zara, Lululemon, Nike, and Apple, as well as a movie theater and mini golf.
The poster seems proud of her living situation, but just like with the video above, commenters seemed concerned with this setup. One wrote, “i would go broke in the first week.”
Another TikTok user wrote, “I would never financially recover from living above a mall.”
Living above a restaurant comes with certain odors
While living near shops can have its pros and cons, there are obvious drawbacks to living too close to a restaurant.
In one video, TikTok user @baldbeautifulbitch complains about living above a chicken restaurant.
“I swear to God, every time I hear the initial crackle of the grill and then smell the f**king gasoline from the grill, like the first one of the day, it just pisses me off,” they say. “‘Cause then I know, in about 2.5 seconds, my entire apartment is gonna smell like gasoline and fried chicken, sorry, grilled chicken. It already does. Took about two seconds. There’s a burning f*king fire here, gasoline fire in my apartment, every day. Every f**king day.”
In the comments section, someone sympathizes. “They cheaply made that apartment. Not sealed properly. Slumlords. There is no excuse for that, they need better vents,” they write.
Another person responds, “Omg I can’t even imagine how much grease is probably built up inside the building if you can smell it that much.”
Speaking of smells, another poster, @cash.jordan, made a good point about odors related to living above a business. With people gathering outside, waiting for a table or a ride home, some of them might smoke, which would mean the smell of cigarettes wafting up to the apartments above.
“The smoke is gonna travel up from the street corner into your window,” he says in a video, later adding, “it’s not good for you.”
Late-night noise can be bothersome
Noise can also be a big problem for those living near a restaurant or bar, especially if the place is open late. In one video, a TikTok user, @nickb453, shows a noisy scene outside his balcony, complete with people dining at night and a live band.
“Enough’s enough, I’m not taking this sh*t anymore,” he then opens his door to shout, “Shut up, time for bed! Go to bed!”
In the caption, he writes, “Living above restaurants and bars can be annoying sometimes.. enough is enough.”
But noise pollution isn’t always as obvious as a band playing outside your window. One man, who goes by @reelryans, posted a video from his apartment, documenting the singing, talking, laughing he can hear from the ice cream shop below him.
Some people comment about the sound being “cute” and “sweet,” but even singing and laughing can get old when you’re watching a dramatic movie or trying to sleep.