U-Haul finds a home in Gearhart
Published 4:00 pm Wednesday, February 26, 2014
- <p>A mural is inside the new U-Haul store, which has moved into the former Gearhart Builders Supply building on U.S. Highway 101. In recent years, U-Haul has made a push to repurpose existing buildings. instead of knocking down and replacing them.</p>
GEARHART At the new U-Haul store in Gearhart, General Manager Craig Beeman has plenty of ideas for the space at 4320 U.S. Highway 101 North.
We have plans for every square inch in here, Beeman said from inside the cavernous, hangar-like building that once belonged to Gearhart Builders Supply.
The new U-Haul location offers packing and shipping supplies, U-Box shipping, truck and trailer rental, hitch installation and, once the store has officially launched, a range of storage options, including RV storage, secure key-card storage and climate-controlled storage.
Were just kind of the hub for everything and anything that happens around here as far as U-Haul is concerned, Beeman said.
U-Haul bought the building and its neighboring warehouses, which will be used for storage once renovations have finished.
Management will repaint and add U Haul-colored accents to the buildings, while still retaining their original structures.
Scheafer said that reusing existing buildings has been a priority for the company since the 1980s.
Were back to reusing buildings, keeping the stuff out of the landfill and repurposing buildings, Scheafer said. It goes back to good sustainability and just being environmentally responsible.
The Gearhart Builders Supply building was constructed in 2006, and its interiors were painted then with murals depicting historic Gearhart scenes.
Keeping this history alive is a large part of being a good neighbor, according to Scheafer.
We take a historic building, repurpose it and, hopefully, build a community around it, he said.
When U-Haul moves in, We take the long-term responsibility of a property, Scheafer said. We want to be good community members when we get into these communities.
Scheafer pointed out that U-Haul is an Oregon company, started in Portland in 1945, and that the company had been looking to open a store on the North Coast since about 1985.
After searching for a location for years, Scheafer said he thinks U-Haul has found a home in Gearhart.
The city of Gearharts been great, he said. We just want to support the community and help the community be a better community.
