Abandoned Adams building gets new lease on life

The former Adams USA building in Cookeville is now home to Store Smart, which offers roughly 300 self-storage units in a 50,000 square foot space.
The former Adams USA building in Cookeville is now home to Store Smart, which offers roughly 300 self-storage units in a 50,000 square foot space.
The former Adams USA building in Cookeville is now home to Store Smart, which offers roughly 300 self-storage units in a 50,000 square foot space.

COOKEVILLE – A building that once housed one of Cookeville’s most iconic businesses – a place where employees crafted sports equipment like facemasks, chinstraps and more – is being repurposed. Its next stage in life? Self-storage.

The former Adams USA property, located at 610 S. Jefferson Ave., has been partly converted, renovated and opened in December as Store Smart, which spans 50,000 square feet. The new owners are also looking to lease an additional 120,000 square feet to an outside tenant for warehousing or light manufacturing.

Business partners Jim Darter and Jonathan McNabb – Nashville residents who both work for Cash Express in Cookeville – say there’s roughly 300 total self-storage units available.

While storage isn’t exactly the most sexy of uses, Darter says they’re excited to transform the once-vacant space.

Adams closed in 2014 amid declining revenues, and the property has sat empty since. The company had a 67-year history in Cookeville, first manufacturing facemasks and chinstraps for football. It was one of the city’s largest and most famous manufacturers.

“It’s been cool to see people’s reactions to the change in use,” Darter said. “And the location is great. Most self-storage in Cookeville is on the outskirts of town; this site is right in the middle of things. That’s another reason why we thought it would be a good use for the space, because it’s real accessible for folks who live close by.

“We’re hopeful it gives the building new life for many years to come,” he added.

Store Smart offers climate control, video surveillance, 24-hour access, truck rentals, shelving rental, online bill pay and more. Monthly rents range from $40 for a 5-foot-by-5-foot locker to $235 for a 10-by-32.

Darter and McNabb are also hoping to lease the additional warehouse space adjacent to Store Smart. It can be subdivided and features 11 dock doors and minimum 20-foot eave height.

“There’s a lot of opportunity there for different kinds of tenants,” Darter said. “Because of the way (Adams) used before, there’s more than enough utilities for any kind of business, from warehousing to some light manufacturing…The facility’s set up to do anything anybody would want to do.”

Liz Engel is the editor of the Upper Cumberland Business Journal. She can be reached at liz@ucbjournal.com

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