FORT COLLINS — The old American Furniture Warehouse building at East Mulberry Street and Interstate 25 on Feb. 29 became the new Kenney’s Marine.
Kenney’s Marine owner Mike Thigpen said the 24,000-square-foot building is triple the size of his operation at the northwest corner of Harmony Road and Interstate 25. The purchase, he said, was as much motivated by growing pains as by the fact that the State of Colorado purchased the Harmony site from his landlord for a new visitor’s center
Thigpen three years ago purchased the assets from three Kenney’s Marine locations in Denver, Colorado Springs and Fort Collins from the man who was the second owner of the 46-year-old business.
“We’ve been expanding ever since,” he said. “We’ve just run out of room, basically.”
Family-owned Kenney’s Marine is the umbrella for five boat-oriented businesses that include: new, used and consignment sales, a massive marine and camping-accessory sales business, the largest Mercury dealership in the state, a sizable Evinrude outboard dealership and engine and propeller repair.
The company employs seven people, and Thigpen said he expects that number to expand after the move.
Thigpen financed the building purchase with a U.S. Small Business Administration loan through The Money Store Investment Corp.’s senior business development officer, Tom Wilczynski. The deal was brokered by Stephen Robinson at Stephen & Co. in Fort Collins.
After some minor renovation — specifically, removing the short display walls used by the furniture dealer — Kenney’s Marine is expected to be in its new headquarters in time for the grand opening scheduled for March 22-24.