If you are a developer, landlord, or retail brand planning a project in the Dallas–Fort Worth Metroplex, you need more than drawings. You need an architect who understands lease timelines, city permitting, and what makes a retail space lease faster and sell more. Archiphy Architecture and Interiors is a Dallas-based commercial architecture firm focused on retail, restaurant, and mixed-use work – led by a Texas-licensed principal who is involved in every project from first site walk to certificate of occupancy.

Retail Architecture Services

Ground-up retail and shell buildings. Site planning, building design, and construction documents for new retail centers and single-tenant buildings, designed so spaces demise cleanly and lease to a wide range of tenants. Tenant finish-outs and white-box conversions. Complete architectural and MEP coordination for individual retail suites — salons, boutiques, fitness and family-entertainment concepts, medical retail, and food service. We handle landlord criteria compliance, accessibility (TAS/ADA) review, and city permit submittals. Shopping center remodels and additions. From facade re-skins to full transformations — including major structural additions to occupied centers, that turn tired properties into leasable space. Franchise and multi-site rollouts. For brands opening multiple DFW locations, we adapt your prototype to each site and each city’s requirements, keeping the brand consistent while the permits move. As-built documentation with 3D laser scanning. Archiphy scans existing buildings with a Leica BLK360 laser scanner and delivers accurate as-built CAD drawings, so renovation projects start from reality, not from a guess. Few DFW retail architects offer this in-house.

Recent Retail Work

Knox Street Shopping Center,Dallas, TX. Complete remodel of an existing shopping center on Knox Street, including the addition of a full second floor — an extensive architectural and structural transformation of a prime Dallas retail property. Planet Bardot, Dallas, TX. Design of an approximately 3,000 SF tenant space for Planet Bardot — the center’s owner and one of its tenants — delivered as part of the Knox Street project. Thirsty’s, Galleria Dallas. Food-kiosk build-out inside one of the region’s highest-traffic retail destinations — the kind of landlord-criteria, mall-coordination project that punishes inexperience. Explore more in our project portfolio.

Why Developers and Retail Brands Choose Archiphy

Vision-led by a licensed architect, every time. You work directly with the founding principal, a licensed Texas architect — not a rotating project team. DFW permitting fluency. We work regularly with the cities of Dallas, Plano, Frisco, McKinney, Farmers Branch, and Fort Worth, and we design submittal packages to anticipate reviewer comments. Retail is our specialty, not a sideline. Storefront visibility, customer flow, back-of-house efficiency, signage criteria, parking ratios — the details that decide whether a space performs. Right-sized fees, real answers. As a focused studio we keep overhead low and communication direct. You get a straight answer about budget and schedule before you commit.

Our Process

1. Discovery and site review, goals, budget, lease or purchase terms, and a site/building assessment (with laser-scanned as-builts where useful).
2. Schematic design,  layout options and a look you can react to quickly.
3. Design development and construction documents, permit-ready drawings with MEP coordination and accessibility review.
4. Permitting and bidding,  we respond to city comments and help you evaluate contractor bids.
5. Construction administration,  site visits, RFI responses, and punch list through opening day.

Where We Work

Archiphy serves the entire Dallas, Fort Worth Metroplex – Dallas, Fort Worth, Plano, Frisco, McKinney, Allen, Richardson, Addison, and Farmers Branch – and takes select retail and restaurant projects in Florida, Tennessee, and New York.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need an architect for a retail tenant finish-out in Texas?

In most cases, yes. Texas cities generally require sealed architectural drawings for commercial permits, and landlords require them for lease exhibit approval. Archiphy provides sealed, permit-ready documents for retail suites of any size.

How long does retail design and permitting take in DFW?

It depends on the complexity of the project and the city reviewing it — a simple finish-out moves much faster than a shopping center remodel. At our first meeting we give you a realistic schedule for your specific project and city, so you can plan your lease and opening dates with confidence.

Can you work with our franchise’s prototype drawings?

Yes. We regularly adapt national prototypes to Texas codes, local amendments, and specific sites, acting as your architect of record.

What does retail architecture cost?

Fees depend on scope and building condition. Contact us with your address and square footage and we’ll give you a clear proposal,  usually within a few days.

Start Your Retail Project

Tell us about your site, your concept, and your timeline. Call (972) 333-0592 or schedule a consultation for a no-obligation conversation about your project.