Former Fred Meyer building in Palmer now home to U-Haul

PALMER — The long-awaited new tenant for the old Fred Meyer building on North Cobb Street in Palmer, U-Haul, will open the doors to its new store Monday.

The future of the 66,000-square-foot concrete building constructed in 2004 caused some ruckus. Palmer City Council heard an airing of grievances when Valkyrie Security and Asset Protection filed for a noise permit to open a shooting range, gunsmithing shop and store in the downtown Palmer building. Kroger, the parent company of Fred Meyer and former owner of the building, ultimately awarded U-Haul’s bid the sale, something the city of Palmer had no part in.

The Monday opening is described as a “soft open” by U-Haul Alaska President John Norris.

Construction on the building to add a hitch center will likely be complete in the spring of 2019. For now, shoppers who need moving supplies including many sizes of boxes, tapes, bubble wraps, packing peanuts, and many specialty boxes can purchase them at the temporary storefront. The store will employ four to five people, according to store officials, and U-Haul is still accepting applications.

The 3,000-square-foot showroom will primarily be used for secure, dry, heated storage. Along with moving supplies, a full line of bike racks will be available from the temporary showroom.

Of the now seven U-Haul stores in Alaska, this is the only location where U-Haul moved into the building, Norris said. The other six were all built from the ground up, and another will be coming to South Anchorage soon. There are 38 independent U-Haul dealers within the state. The new stores hours will be 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday.

“We are very excited to serve the public in the Palmer and Mat-Su area, this has been a 10-year dream to make this happen with a complete line of all our products and service. The feeling is one of challenge to meet the expectations of the moving public and pride knowing that we bring a wealth (of) knowledge and team work to do just that!” Norris said in an email.

The UBox moving services are online as well. Shoppers can rent vans, pickups and trailers for moving from the Palmer location.

The large parking lot left vacant since Fred Meyer moved across the street in the spring of 2017 allowed space for those attending the Colony Days Parade in Palmer to park. However, Norris does not expect the lot to be vacant much longer.

“As the space becomes utilized serving customers, it will become more congested,” Norris said.

He warns that drivers who may have used the lot as a shortcut in the past may encounter more traffic, but wants to continue to foster community growth and involvement with the Palmer location.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman reporter Tim Rockey at tim.rockey@frontiersman.com.