A new national business is coming to Wichita’s old Horton’s space — and beyond

The former Horton’s Furniture building on West Kellogg likely is going to have some furniture in it yet again, but only if people leasing space decide to store some there.

That’s because Florida-based TriCore Investment Group is converting the building, which is between Maize Road and 119th, into a People’s Choice Storage facility.

The company already has two People’s Choice facilities open in Wichita: at 3401 N. Hillside, just north of K-96; and 6209 W. Kellogg, just north of Wichita Eisenhower National Airport. It’s also converting the former Rand Graphics building at 500 S. Florence near Tracy and Taft into one as well.

TriCore, which has 20 storage facilities nationally, offers a range of storage sizes in climate-controlled space.

At the Florence address, eventually there will be RV and boat parking as well.

“We have a large parking lot ready to go,” said TriCore COO Lawrence Murphy.

The Florence building has 104,000 square feet to lease, and the former Horton’s building has 94,000 square feet of rentable space.

“We really try to create an in-person customer experience in all locations,” Murphy said.

That includes apps and accessories to make entry easy. There’s also insurance if customers choose and referral bonuses.

Murphy said there are moving supplies, too, and the Hillside People’s Choice eventually will have a U-Haul dealership within it.

“The storage world is all about movement of people,” Murphy said.

He said there’s a saying in the industry about the four Ds: death, divorce, dislocation and downsizing.

“It’s kind of ghoulish, but that’s the truth.”

Murphy said the business does well in good times and bad.

“In the good economic times, people buy all kinds of toys.”

Then they need places to store them.

“In the bad economic times . . . they might lose their home or they might have to get a smaller apartment or they might have to move for a job,” he said.

The People’s Choice at the former Horton’s building should be ready by the end of May, and the former Rand space should be ready by mid-June.

Dan Hardy, a principal at Florida-based Oden Hardy Construction, is converting the two properties.

Though there are already a lot of storage facilities in Wichita, Murphy said it’s clear they are needed.

“You gotta admit, if you see them pop up like McDonald’s, there’s something to them.”