A high-profile vacant building in Red Wing is vacant no longer. In September, KO Storage opened in the space, formerly occupied by Econo Foods, located at 160 Tyler Road South. The building sat vacant for four years before being repurposed as a storage facility.
Construction started in November 2022 after KO Storage acquired the property.
“We are excited and privileged to be serving people in Red Wing,” said senior project manager Colin O’Brien. “We could not have done it without local contractors, or the approval of the city to let us breathe life into the abandoned grocery.”
KO Storage started in 2016 and is based in Minnetonka and they operate 210 such storage facilities in 24 states. The new facility in Red Wing has a total of 326 self-storage units.
The task of remodeling the space was a big one, but O’Brien said KO Storage has an advantage when it comes to work like that.
“This conversion was possible because we also have an in-house construction company that has designed, developed, or built over two million square feet of storage around the country,” he said. “We partnered with local contractors who had managed and serviced the building for over 10 years prior. We were very blessed to have strong craftsmanship that executed construction.”
KO Storage expects the demand for storage solutions to grow as Red Wing continues to grow..
“Economically, there are multiple apartment complexes and townhome projects under construction, so we anticipate the demand for storage to increase as smaller houses, condos, and apartments become more common around town,” O’Brien said.
The facility in Red Wing is climate-controlled and includes an upgraded security system and camera system. There are carts, dollies and bins located near unloading areas to assist customers in moving their belongings.
