U-Haul announced it will build a storage facility at the site.
By Bob Bong
Two years after closing its Chicago Ridge location, Saunoris has closed its garden center in Frankfort.
U-Haul has acquired the former garden center at 19600 S. Harlem Avenue. No price was announced, but the property had been listed for $2.5 million on real estate websites.
The 6.88-acre property, now called U-Haul Moving & Storage of Frankfort Square, was purchased on June 3 and will be the first U-Haul-owned and -operated center in the Frankfort area.
U-Haul said in a release it purchased the property “to better meet the moving and self-storage needs of Will County.”
“U-Haul is thrilled to invest in the Frankfort community,” U-Haul Company of Chicago South and Southwest Suburbs president Rocc Bolden said in the release. “Our team is looking forward to reaching more customers with our trusted moving and self-storage products.”
Many services are expected to be available starting in August. The location will offer a retail showroom with truck and trailer sharing, boxes and moving supplies, and more.
Plans call for the creation of a three-story, 94,764-square-foot building with a mix of 937 indoor climate-controlled self-storage rooms and drive-up storage units with high-tech security features at affordable price points.
Once the building is ready, customers will have access to towing equipment and professional hitch installation, propane, and green initiatives like a Re-Use Center and the Take A Box, Leave A Box program. There will also be a U-Box warehouse to hold up to 1,000 portable moving and storage containers.
Bolden plans to hire up to 10 Team Members to staff the store. U-Haul will look to hire locally to promote job growth in Frankfort. U-Haul, honored as a Best for Vets employer by The Military Times, actively recruits veterans and gives them preference in the hiring process. Find U-Haul careers at uhauljobs.com.
Until the Frankfort store is ready, customers can find rental equipment at dealer locations in Mokena, Tinley Park and New Lenox. There are four full-service facilities within a 15-mile radius of Frankfort, including U-Haul of Alsip at 11855 S. Cicero Ave.
Saunoris closed the business at the end of June. It originally opened in 1971. Owners announced they were retiring as the reason for the closing.
At the end of 2021, the location at 6000 W. 111th St. in Chicago Ridge was closed. There were plans announced at the time to build a Buddy Bear Car Wash on the site.