Storage units are starting to take shape on a prominent lot near Lewiston High School.
Expected to be complete in late September or early October, the 609 units in 12 buildings will have a total of 104,000 square feet of storage, said Cody Merrell, owner of Axess Self Storage, based in Moscow.
The Axess Self Storage units and an office for them are being built at 1125 Warner Ave., just west of Community Drive, a road that leads to the high school entrance.
The location under construction will be the company’s 10th in the region and its second in Lewiston. Its other Lewiston location with 412 storage units is at 1105 Warner Ave., just west of Ziggy’s Home Improvement and about a block away from where Axess Storage is expanding.
The new Lewiston storage units will be Axess’ “flagship property,” with many of the newest innovations in the industry, Merrell said.
Generally rates start at $55 per month for the smallest spaces with the fewest amenities and top out at $400 per month for the largest ones with the most features, he said.
A total of 30,000 square feet in the development will be climate-controlled space where the temperature will be kept between about 55 degrees and 85 degrees, moderate enough to store items such as records and candles, Merrell said.
The smallest climate-controlled spaces will be 5-foot-square lockers that are 4 feet tall and the largest ones will be 30 feet long, 10 feet wide and 9 feet tall, Merrell said.
Another 20,000 square feet will be designed for recreational vehicles and boats with roll-up doors, power and entrances that allow customers to back in at 60-degree angles, he said.
Merrell’s knowledge of the industry comes from 14 years of experience operating storage units in Pullman, Moscow, Potlatch as well as its ones in Lewiston.
Storage units have been a reliable line of business, generating strong revenue in healthy and uncertain economies, he said.
The industry thrives when people are upgrading and moving into nicer homes, Merrell said. During COVID-19, customers rented storage space for all of the outdoor gear they accumulated such as all-terrain vehicles, golf carts, motorcycles, bicycles, kayaks, recreational vehicles and tents, he said.
“They consumed a lot,” Merrell said.
When the economy is weak and families move to smaller homes or apartments, they get storage units where they keep Christmas decorations and other possessions they don’t have space for in their new residences, he said.
Axess Self Storage is a part of Merrell Enterprises, which has apartment complexes and some commercial space.
Storage represents about 60% of its holdings. Apartments are another 35% and commercial space is 5%, Merrell said.
One of its apartment complexes is Dawson Hills, which has 36 units at 900 25th Ave. in Lewiston.
“We like investing in the valley,” he said.
