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Abstract: Shop/houses – buildings that combine commercial and residential space – from the sixteenth through the eighteenth century in Amsterdam, London and Rome share several architectural attributes. It is conjectured that these attributes are connected to the buildings’ ability to harbor economic activity among families at the lower end of the economic spectrum and for whom architectural flexibility may be essential to accommodate change in family composition and business. These common attributes include their location on narrow lots, maximization of their commercial frontage, in each city a variety of locations for the stair (close to the street or deeper into the building), and flexibility of the front room of the building. In each of the three cities, these common attributes are combined with culturally-specific architectural attributes of style and construction to result in unique buildings that are also clearly of a common commercial/residential character.