(La Porte, IN) - Rural King continues to make progress toward opening a store at the Maple Lane Mall in La Porte.  The retail chain today started work on placing its name on the sign at the front entranceway to the mall on Indiana 2.

 

La Porte City Planner Tom Casey said Rural King has also received a variance to put up signs

on the front of the old Kmart store where the store is going.  He said a variance was needed because the signs are larger than what’s allowed under city ordinance.  Casey said larger signs were sought to improve visibility with the upcoming Rural King store being somewhat off in the distance from the state highway.

 

Rural King purchased the mostly vacant mall on the city's west side in 2017.  The once dilapidated parking lot was recently given a new surface.  Other improvements have been made to the outside and inside of the mall along with the roof. 

 

The popular retail chain, with more than 100 stores primarily in the midwest and southeast, plans to rent the remainder of the space to other businesses.  “Rural King is going to bring in a lot of traffic and that’s going to help re-tenant the mall,” Casey said.

 

Rural King has not set a specific grand opening date but is shooting for sometime in March or April, officials said.