A former building that once housed a Kroger grocery store has been converted into a self-storage facility in Fort Wayne, Ind., and is expected to open this month. The grocery store on Spy Run and State Boulevard closed in 2007.
Self-storage developer Fort Wayne Storage paid roughly $1 million for the 46,000-square-foot, single-story building and property. The conversion to the new facility, which will be called Downtown Self Storage, was another $1 million. It will contain 440 storage units, half of which will be climate-controlled, on two floors.
Fort Wayne Storage operates four additional self-storage locations, but this is the companys first conversion. General Manager Kyle Zimmerman told the source the company is looking for possible locations for additional conversion projects, including an office strip mall near one of its existing facilities, and in neighboring cities.
Although the area has seen some saturation of self-storage facilities, theres still demand due to the areas housing boom, Zimmerman said. He also noted that self-storage continues to thrive during economic downturns because it meets customers needs.
