The vacant K-Mart location at Jasper Mall is expected to have a new tenant soon.
The Jasper City Council is hoping to finalize incentives for Rural King, a national retailer, to fill the spot vacated a decade ago.
Rural King is a farm supply and general merchandise store based in Mattoon, Illinois. Founded in 1960, it now has 125 stores in 13 U.S. states (Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio, Michigan, Missouri, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia and Alabama). The company has a 50-year tradition of offering free popcorn and a cup of coffee to its customers.
Rural King locations offer items such as livestock feed, farm equipment, agricultural parts, lawn mowers, workwear, fashion clothing, housewares and toys.
“You never know what you will find at your local Rural King and that’s why every trip is an adventure,” the company states on its website.
Council members voted Tuesday to hold a public hearing to discuss providing economic development assistance for Rural King.
If the incentives are approved, it would defray some construction and redevelopment costs for the business. The meeting will be held at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 17, in the council chambers at Jasper City Hall.
A Books-a-Million, a Best Buy, a Buffalo Wild Wings, and (wait for it) a movie theater.