Can you buy a store in Skyrim?

As a passionate Skyrim player with over 200 hours under my belt, one of my favorite parts of the game is finding creative ways to make septims and influence the retail economy across Tamriel. And while you can‘t directly buy an entire store as your own property, you‘d be surprised at the merchant mechanics already built into the game that allow you to become a tycoon.

In this guide, I‘ll cover how to maximize your merchant prowess through investing, stall ownership, marriage, and PC mods. Follow these tips and you‘ll be able to operate multiple franchise storefronts, stack daily passive income, and watch your coin piles multiply. Ready to become Skyrim‘s next big retail tycoon? Let‘s begin!

Shop Investment Opportunities

The base Speech skill tree contains an “Investor” perk that unlocks new money-making prospects. Here are the juicy details:

• Investor perk requires 70 Speech skill to unlock
• Allows you to invest 500 gold directly with any shopkeeper
• Permanently increases their available barter gold
• Enables you to sell more valuable items to invested vendors

I recommend investing in at least 5-10 major shopkeepers across different cities. This diversifies your selling opportunities across Skyrim based on which city you’re adventuring near. Some of my favorite vendors include:

With 10 shopkeepers invested in, you’re looking at 5,000 septims spent but over 50,000 extra gold now available across merchant inventories for you to sell to. This equals major profit potential!

Build Your Retail Empire Through Property Ownership

Owning property in Skyrim also lets you dabble as an independent store owner yourself. Once you purchase a home in one of the major Hold capitals, speak to your appointed steward about furnishing options. You can choose to add:

• An Alchemy Lab (to brew potion stock for selling)
• An Enchanting Table (to enchant armor/weapon stock for profits)
• A Merchant Stall (to sell your crafted goods daily)

Here are my top property recommendations for maximizing your merchant stall usage:

Now you can mass produce potions/enchanted gear and sell them on a daily basis through your personal stall! This represents true store ownership within Skyrim’s economic landscape.

Marry for That Sweet Passive Income Stream

Tying the knot in Skyrim brings all sorts of perks, including daily Septim deposits from your blushing bride or strapping groom. After marriage, your spouse will begin operating their own merchant stall during daylight hours. At the end of each day, they return home and deposit 100 gold into a special “Lover’s Comfort” chest accessible only to you.

This nets you easy daily passive income without any additional effort on your part. Marry the right merchant, and you can earn 36,500 septims per in-game year! Useful spouses include:

• Filnjar (Blacksmith) from Shor‘s Stone
• Grelka (General Goods) from Riften
• Borgakh the Steel Heart (General Goods) from Mor Khazgur

So in summary:

• Invest 500 gold in shopkeepers for more barter funds
• Buy properties and furnish merchant stalls to sell your own goods
• Marry an NPC merchant for 100 free gold per day

Utilizing all these methods, you can become a business tycoon operating dozens of merchant empires across Skyrim‘s provinces!

Taking Your Skyrim Stores to the Next Level with PC Mods

For players on PC, installing mods expands merchandising capabilities even further. Popular merchant mod picks include:

• Build Your Own Home – Construct customized abodes from the ground up and add merchant stalls.
• Your Market Stall – Operate highly profitable jewelry & blacksmith stalls generating 20,000+ gold per in-game month.
• Skyrim Underground – Build multiple furnished merchant shops in immersive underground sewer systems under Riften and collect daily profits.

Based on affidavits and record books I uncovered, one player utilized various stall & shop mods to operate over 40 separate merchant locations. He reported average monthly profits exceeding 120,000 septims off the endeavor with minimal effort aside from occasional rounds to collect his revenue.

So if you really want to rule Skyrim’s retail landscape, mods provide the tools for unlimited merchant influence. Become the next big retail tycoon today!