More Climate-Controlled Self-Storage Coming to Hawaii

By Adriana Pop, Associate Editor

KAILUA-KONA, Hawaii—U-Haul has announced the opening of U-Haul Moving at Kailua-Kona, its first location on the Big Island and its third store in the Aloha State.

U-Haul Moving at Kailua-Kona

The facility is located at 74-5484 Kaiwi St. in the Old Industrial Park, previously Gold Coast Business Centers. U-Haul closed on the property’s acquisition in December 2014 and opened for business in November.

“We have two U-Haul store locations on Oahu, and we’re excited to be able to offer our products and services on the Big Island at our new Kailua-Kona location,” U-Haul area district Vice President Doug McIntier said in prepared remarks.

At full build-out, the project will include 164 climate-controlled indoor storage units. Air conditioning will be pumped into the units in order to keep possessions cool at a low cost, which is a rare service on the Big Island.

“We’re one of only two locations in Kona that will offer climate-controlled storage,” added U-Haul Company of Hawaii President Kaleo Alau. “From everyone we’ve talked to, this is a big deal. People have to drive miles and miles to find climate-controlled storage.”

The property U-Haul acquired comprises five buildings, and will also host multiple restaurants and bars, retailers and other tenants.

U-Haul Moving at Kailua-Kona currently offers truck and trailer rentals, towing equipment, boxes and moving supplies, as well as U-Box portable moving and self-storage containers. There are 15 U-Haul trucks available at the facility. A hitch bay will be added for easy installations. The store’s general manager is Cerise Huihui.

Opening a U-Haul facility in Hawaii is a huge undertaking considering that each piece of U-Haul equipment is shipped from the mainland to Oahu by barge and then shipped again if its destination is another island. According to McIntier, U-Haul’s goal is to bring 400 or more trucks to Hawaii in the future.

The new Kailua-Kona location adds to U-Haul’s two Honolulu stores, as well as to its multiple neighborhood dealer locations and self-storage affiliates on Oahu, Maui, Kauai, Molokai and the Big Island, bringing the company’s expanding presence to 28 locations statewide.

“Our new store has a wonderful staff,” McIntier commented. “Cerise is an outstanding manager who worked for a huge storage facility on the island and we brought her to U-Haul.”

“I’m very excited and thankful U-Haul is here in Kailua-Kona,” Huihui noted. “People are excited. The community has given welcoming responses to our surveys, knowing they can count on a family-owned business with local Aloha.”

Image courtesy of U-Haul