May 11th, 2020—Rural King, America’s Farm and Home Store, has announced plans to open in La Porte, Indiana by March 2021. The new store will open in Maple Lane Mall, 1340 West State Road 2. Significant renovations to the 221,000 sq. ft. structure are scheduled to begin in early spring. Although other tenants are not identified at this time, renovations to additional tenant spaces will be completed as a part of this project. La Porte Mayor Tom Dermody said, the rehabilitation and renovation of this area will be a major shot in the arm for the west side of La Porte.

“A promise my administration made during our campaign was to immediately focus on bringing high- quality change to our community. Over and over again we heard that residents of the west side of La Porte needed places to shop within walking distance. With this project we have made that a reality,” said Mayor Dermody.

The Maple Lane Mall was once a hub of commerce in La Porte. However, like many indoor malls throughout the United States, changes in consumer spending habits hit the facility hard. In its heyday, Levine’s and Kmart anchored the mall with a variety of local retail also represented. The last anchor store remaining in the space closed its doors in 2017 and the property has languished until today’s commitment from Rural King.

According to Bert Cook, Executive Director of the La Porte Economic Advancement Partnership, the La Porte Redevelopment Commission and the La Porte Urban Enterprise Association are partnering with Rural King to make the necessary improvements to the property for this development.

“We are very pleased Rural King has chosen to locate a store here in La Porte. We believe the partnership between the La Porte Redevelopment Commission and La Porte Urban Enterprise Association is a unique one that allows us to make dramatic improvements in our community. We are excited to see this building put back into use and appreciate Rural King’s investment in La Porte,” said Cook.

In 1960, Rural King started as a small, family-owned farm store in Mattoon, IL. The passion and dedication of its associates pushed the company further than ever imagined. Now, the company is one of the fastest growing family-owned companies in America and has added over 110 stores in a thirteen-state area.

All store locations have a large variety of products, such as livestock supplies, clothing, hardware, and compact RK tractors from 19-55HP at select locations. Rural King is proud to provide all customers with the lowest prices every day, free coffee and popcorn in every store, and a friendly smile. To find more information about Rural King Supply and the products they carry, visit Ruralking.com or a Rural King store near you.

For more information about the Maple Lane Mall project, please call Bert Cook, La Porte Economic Advancement Partnership at (219) 324-8584 or bertc@laportepartnership.com.