I have one client looking to do this. Interested in hearing responses. 

ive had both and ran both at the same time.

i also wound up both at the same time.

i thought of running online only, but at the time, neither were arms of the business i wanted continuing.

but, this is how i was going to plan it.

if b&m only, get an online store ASAP.
this can be through Facebook, a stand alone site or part of your existing site.
run both online and offline stores and if looking to wrap up the b&m side, you would usually work to lease lengths (ie, if you still have 6 months left, then thats usually your end shop day.
begin to wrap up services to the same day as your lease (phones, insurance, internet etc).
during the remainder of the lease, inform customers of your intention and how business will be conducted by you after the change (postage only, pick up options?)  this should be done through you website, through your email list, through your telephone system, and through people visiting your shop.  everywhere.

then, you sit and wait.

at the same time if your intention is to go outright online then start advertising as such.

if you want so more details, just let me know, but that was my very rough guide.  obviously if your shop is month to month then give it some time to harness people that come in off the street.

in my situation, I wanted to get out ASAP and so I left the shop shell for about 3 months with a sign saying i was no longer doing this part of the business.

Hey, Chris, right now I do have a WePay account which has worked fairly well. It is very simple to set up. @chrisfoster Perhaps Dexter has something else he can suggest @dextereugenio

Thanks, Dexter, I knew you’d come through. Did that help any, Chris? @chrisfoster @dextereugenio

+1 for Magento. Not the new product “Go” or whatever that is called, the real free version. Like Dexter said, however, unless you are fairly tech savvy you will need a web dev. to get you up and running. After that it can be self managed. 

I’d be curious to see if the deployment of the web store would boost local search rankings enough where they keep the b+m store. Maybe just a nice daydream as retail seems really, really challenging these days. 

As an aside we have an ecommerce partner in India (i.e. sells to Indian merchants) that has been fascinating to watch grow. It can be a really long, complicated sale where it’s a mix of first educating, then selling the need, then selling why you can fulfill it. Throw in some Olympic class haggling and it really is a process. Once they are up and running it’s great seeing them get those first orders and become believers in online. Also I get a kick out of everyone offering COD since barely anyone here trusts websites. 

Best,