Aaron’s, a rent-to-own furniture store, plans to move to a new, larger location near Sligo Street and Montezuma Avenue in November.

Owner Spencer Smith wanted to upgrade the store to have a “21st century aesthetic appeal” he said.

The new building will be just under 10,000 square feet, making it a bit larger than the current location on East Main Street.

The city issued a grading permit July 14, so workers could begin the work of leveling the lot, which is east of Safeway.

Smith hired a builder based in Utah who has worked on about 12 of his other Aaron’s locations. But he said they planned to hire a number of local subcontractors.

His plan is to finish the building in time for the busy holiday season.

Smith opened his first Aaron’s franchise in Cortez 10 years ago and since then he has opened 43 locations total across eight western states.

Since Aaron’s opened in Cortez ,it has continuously ranked first or second in revenue out of Smith’s stores.

“I’m very proud that one of our best stores is in our home town,” he said.

Smith attributed the rapid growth of his business to the very strong management team that he has assembled over the past 10 years.

He also owns two Big O Tires locations and a Rent-A-Wheel.