Commercial Christmas Lighting: What Businesses Should Know

Lighting a business is a different job from lighting a house. The building is usually bigger. People you are responsible for walk under the lights every day. The work has to fit around opening hours, deliveries and parking. And the money often has to be approved months before anyone thinks about December.

This post covers what a Nashville business owner or property manager should think through before booking commercial Christmas lighting, and where the money is and is not worth spending.

Start with what the lights are for

Before talking about rooflines, decide what you want the lights to do. The answer changes what is worth lighting.

• A shop or restaurant with evening customers. The storefront, the entrance and the sign are what matter. People decide whether to stop from the street, so light what they see from the street.
• An office building that empties at five. Few people drive past after dark on a weekday. A lit entrance and a tree or two near the door is often enough. Outlining the whole building can be money spent on a display almost nobody sees.
• A shopping center or multi tenant property. The goal is usually a consistent look across the frontage, so no single tenant looks forgotten.

If you cannot say who will see the lights and when, work that out first. It is the quickest way to keep the budget sensible.

Scheduling around business hours

A crew at a house mostly affects the family who lives there. A crew at a business affects customers, staff and neighbors. A little planning avoids most of the friction.

Tell the installer how your site works

When you ask for a quote, mention your opening hours, your busiest days, when deliveries arrive and where customers park. A ladder at the front door during the lunch rush is a problem that is easy to avoid if the installer knows about it in advance.

Pick the date the lights go on

Many businesses want lights up for a specific event, a holiday open house or the start of the shopping season. Decide the date you need them working and say so. Installers book up as the season gets closer, so the earlier you settle the date, the more choice you have.

Pick the date they come down

Takedown matters more for a business than a house. A storefront still lit for Christmas well into January can look like nobody is paying attention. Takedown after the holidays is included with every Red Nose Lites install, so agree the timing when you book rather than leaving it open.

Scale changes the problems

A commercial building is not just a large house. The size creates its own issues.

• Long runs. The longer the roofline, the more a sagging section or a strand that stops short stands out. Red Nose Lites uses custom cut commercial grade LED strands, so each run fits the edge it goes on.
• Power. Find out where your outdoor outlets are before anyone designs anything. A building with one outlet at the back needs a different plan from one with outlets along the front. It also helps to know which lights share a circuit with signs, coolers or anything else that must stay on.
• Timers. Decide when the lights should be on. Lights that burn all night at a closed office do nothing for you.
• One dark section is obvious. On a long frontage, a single failed connection leaves a gap that reads as neglect. This is where in season service matters most.

Safety and liability

At a business, customers and staff walk beneath and beside the lights. That raises the stakes.

Insurance

Ask any installer whether their crews are insured before they set foot on your property. Red Nose Lites installs are done by insured crews. If a company cannot answer that question plainly, keep looking.

Cords and walkways

Extension cords laid across an entrance or a sidewalk are a trip hazard. Ask how power will get from the outlet to the lights without crossing anywhere people walk.

The building itself

Many businesses lease their space, and a lease may limit what can be attached to the outside of the building. Check yours. Red Nose Lites uses clips sized to the roof edge or gutter lip. No staples, nails or screws go into fascia, trim or shingles, so there are no holes left behind in spring.

Staff on ladders

The cheapest way to light a building is to have an employee do it. It is also the version most likely to end with someone hurt at work. For anything above a low awning, that trade is rarely worth making.

Weather and keeping it working

Middle Tennessee winters bring more rain, wind and the occasional ice than deep snow. Wind loosens clips that do not fit properly. Water gets into poor connections. A display that looked right on opening night can have a dark stretch after one bad storm.

For a house, that is annoying. For a business, it is on show to every customer until it is fixed. Every Red Nose Lites install includes in season maintenance and a 24 hour service guarantee during the season, so a problem does not sit there for a week.

Budget cycles

Many businesses set budgets well before the holidays, and a request that arrives in late November can miss the window. A few things help.

• Get a number early. A quote in the summer or early fall gives you a real figure to put in the budget instead of a guess.
• Know what the price covers. With Red Nose Lites that is design, custom cut commercial grade LED strands, installation, in season maintenance, takedown and off season storage. Compare that against the full cost of doing it in house: buying lights, staff time, replacing failed strands and finding space to store everything.
• Storage is not a small thing. A commercial display takes up real room. Red Nose Lites stores the lights off season, so they are not taking up a stockroom or a storage unit you pay for.
• No contracts. There are no contracts and no long term commitments. You can decide each year based on how the last season went and what the budget allows.

When you do not need a professional

Not every business needs an installer. A small storefront with a low window and a wreath on the door can be handled by the owner in an hour. A few strands in a front window, lit from inside, need no ladder at all. If the lights would only go somewhere you can reach from the ground, doing it yourself is fine.

Hiring out makes sense once the work means ladders, rooflines, long runs, several buildings, or lights over areas where the public walks.

Getting a quote for a commercial property

You can get a price over the phone. Call (615) 595-9686 and describe the property and what you want lit. It helps to have a few details ready:

• The type of building and how many stories it has
• Which edges, signs, trees or entrances you want lit
• Where the outdoor outlets are
• Your opening hours and the date you need the lights working

If the property is large or unusual, or you would simply rather someone come and look, a site visit is available. It is an option, not a requirement.

You can also use the quote form, read more about commercial installation, or see the full process on the how it works page.

Red Nose Lites is a family owned company that has been installing Christmas lights since 2006. We work with businesses across Nashville, Brentwood, Franklin, Green Hills and Hendersonville.