ABOVE: Dahmon Gullord is pictured with the U-Hauls for rent at Five Lakes Centre in Fairmont.

FAIRMONT – For those needing moving services, U-Haul has returned to Fairmont.

True Value previously provided Fairmont’s U-Haul, but their closure earlier this year left many needing to go to Armstrong, IA, Blue Earth, or Amboy to get what they needed. Dahmon Gullord, who manages the Five Lakes Centre Mall True Value used to reside in, decided to step in.

“[We] wanted to keep it in the community,” he said. “They were having to travel and pay extra mileage for everything.”

To do so, Gullord went through the process of getting a license for the mall to rent U-Hauls and contacted locations in Mankato and Blue Earth to take on some of their stock.

“We loaded all of our workers up and drove up there,” he said. “Each one grabbed a truck and a trailer, and we just started bringing them back.”

Gullord said the work was worth it to help diversify what’s available at the mall.

“It’s nice to have another project here,” he said. “We’re trying to keep as many things as we can at the mall, and this is just another feature that we can provide.”

After U-Haul services were out of commission for a couple months, demand surged upon its return.

“It is way busier than what I expected,” Gullord said. “I figured it was going to be a trailer here, a trailer there. Once in a while a truck going in and out. [In reality], there are days where I could spend seven hours just standing out on the lot. Somebody brings one in, we clean it up. [At the same time], somebody else is taking one.”

On a given seven-day week, they’ll have 15-20 trucks and trailers rented. Gullord said this equates to at least one or two a day, and the weekends are the busiest times.

Fairmont’s U-Haul is unique for the area, as their hours are from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. This stretches longer than the typical 5 p.m. closure. One thing they are looking to add is a storefront for all the smaller U-Haul essentials.

“You could get boxes, locks, trailer hitches, and other stuff like that,” Gullord said. “We’re new to it. We’re not quite that far yet, but that’ll probably be something we have in the future.”

One misconception Gullord said they’ve had thus far is people going into Burger King to ask about the U-Haul’s, due to its proximity to the designated U-Haul lot. Gullord said Burger King is not affiliated with their U-Haul project, and everything goes through the mall.

For more information, go to https://www.uhaul.com/Locations/Truck-Rentals-near-Fairmont-MN-56031/019293/or call 507-399-0180.