Former Bristol Kmart location soon to become U-Haul facility

New life will be breathed into the former Kmart location in Bristol thanks to plans by U-Haul to open a self-storage facility.

The company announced Thursday that they had purchased the building located at 2854 W State Street last month. Following mass closures of Kmart locations nationwide including the Bristol location, the building set empty for over three years. With the acquisition, U-Haul plans to give the 60,000 square foot property a complete makeover, which will feature space for indoor self-storage, climate controlled rooms, unloading areas, and 24/7 access.

“U-Haul will be renovating the former Kmart store to serve as a state-of-the-art self-storage facility,” said Clay McQuade, U-Haul Company of Knoxville president. “This building has been vacant since 2016. It was becoming blight on the community. We’re eager to breathe life back into this property. We want to be a business anchor for Bristol. We invite others to invest here.”

The facility is set to be fully operational in 2021.