What should I check before buying a glass and mirror shop?

A glass and mirror shop sells and installs custom mirrors, shower doors, table tops, replacement window glass and small storefront repairs. It is closer to a made-to-order trade than a store. The numbers can look steady and still hide a shop that depends on one builder or one skilled cutter. These checks help you see which.

Revenue by job type and customer

Ask for sales split into mirrors, shower doors, window glass, tabletops and repairs, and into walk-in homeowners, contractors and builders. Look at how many customers send repeat work and whether a few accounts dominate. Ask what happens to those accounts when ownership changes. Many buyers ask the seller to introduce them personally.

Quoting, remakes and breakage

Custom glass goes wrong when a measurement is off. Ask how jobs are measured and quoted, who signs off, and how often a piece is remade. Ask how breakage is recorded and whether it shows up in the statements or is quietly absorbed. A shop that tracks remakes and credits tends to know its real margins on custom work, much as this retail profitability answer describes.

Equipment and the workshop

Look at the cutting tables, edging and polishing machines, drills, racks and lifting gear. Ask for service records and which items are near the end of their life. Check whether tempering is done in house or sent out. Ask what is owned, leased or financed, since leased equipment does not come with the shop on its own.

Installers and what the owner does

Find out who measures, who cuts and who installs, and which of those jobs the owner does personally. Ask how long each person has been there and whether they would stay. If the owner is the only skilled cutter or estimator, plan a handover period and talk it through with them early.