Old K-Mart transformed in Waupaca
By James Card
U-Haul started renovations on the old Fulton Street K-Mart in Waupaca last winter.
When they started, the interior was a vast cavernous blank slate of empty retail space.
Now it is a well-lit grid of 484 individual storage units, row after row. Some of the units are walk-in closet-sized and the larger ones are bedroom sized, at 10 by 20 square feet.
There are 60 outdoor drive-up units in the parking lot, along with trucks and trailers. The front of the building got a recent facelift and new signage has been put up. The storage and loading dock area of the old K-Mart has been completely cleared out and this place will be used to store U-Box containers, portable storage containers that can be loaded, staged and delivered to a destination as needed.
Three new garage doors are on the front of the building.
“This is the load/unload bay. They can drive up with the door open and they can unload here. You can get a U-Haul truck as big as a 26-footer in here,” said manager Mac-Steven Johnson. Nearby are handcarts that are free to use.
He walked over to the glass entrance of the old K-Mart.
“Eventually this will be a parking area and lines will be painted. These doors will be the main doors into the building and there will be a parking spot for you to unload right in front of the building,” he said.
The old garden center is being converted into a hitch bay for installing hitches and next to that is the main office, show room and retail area.
Johnson said business is building and there was an uptick with college students moving during their summer break.