Commercial Locksmith in Grand Rapids, MI

Commercial districts and their doors

• Heartside. A historic district since 1979, Heartside grew up beside the railroad stations, with loading facilities and wholesale houses; the National Candy Company factory was built at 40 Cherry Street SW. Buildings of that kind often have a street door, a loading door and an upper-floor entry, each with its own lock and its own key holders. Name the entrance in any request.
• Wealthy Street. A historic district since 1997, Wealthy Street has long been a business street: in 1872 its business owners raised money for a streetcar line, and it became a stopping place for travelers to and from Reeds Lake. The city's storefront guidelines bar removing, altering or enclosing character-defining entrances, or moving a main entrance.

Historic storefronts and security hardware

Under the state's Local Historic Districts Act, a permit is needed before work that affects a resource's exterior appearance (MCL 399.205). A rekey or a new cylinder inside existing entrance hardware generally leaves a storefront as it is; a new door, added exterior hardware or a moved entry changes it and may need a permit. Under the Historic Preservation Commission's guidelines, exterior burglar bars and security gates are considered only for a shown safety need, after less intrusive efforts are exhausted, so sturdier locks, reinforced strikes and tighter key control are worth weighing first. This is general information, not legal advice.

Staff and tenant turnover

Keys leave with the people who hold them. Where a building has street, loading and upper-floor doors, each can have different key holders, so a list organized by door shows which locks need attention when someone leaves.

• When an employee who held a key leaves, rekey the doors that key opened, starting with exterior doors.
• A master key system lets a manager carry one key while staff keys open only their own areas.
• In a multi-tenant building, rekey a suite when its tenant moves out, and keep the shared street and loading doors on a separate key.

What to include for a business address

Give the address or cross streets, which entrances are involved (street, loading, upper-floor or suite), how many doors and keys, whether the building is in a historic district, and who can authorize work on it. See commercial locksmith for the general description, lock rekeying for turnover, or the Grand Rapids page.