Patterson said the store will have about 60 part- and full-time employees.
“The city is really excited about that,” said Scott Falkowski, Huber Heights interim assistant city manager. “The way we see it, it will be a lot of local people working there. If they’re not local, they will be using our restaurants and stores. We like to see that many jobs come through.”
Rural King still needs approval from the city’s planning commission for signage and to have an outdoor sales area, Falkowski said. The next planning commission meeting is Aug. 14.
Kmart left the Waynetowne Plaza location last summer.
“This is actually an amazing turnaround to get something in quickly into a big box store like this,” Falkowski said. “You don’t want a building to turn into an eyesore. Getting somebody in quickly is very good for the community. It’s a use we don’t really have, and it’s another one of those stores that will benefit a lot of residents around here.”
By the end of the year, Rural King will have eight stores in Ohio. The company, which started in 1960 and is headquartered in Illinois, has stores in seven states.
“Ohio is a really good fit for us,” Patterson said. “We’re a blend between a store for farmers and for someone who lives out in the country on an acre or two who takes pride in their lawn. We’ve got just about everything you ever need, no matter what you do. We’re excited to be in Huber Heights.”
Falkowski also said a thrift store is planning to move into the former Best Products location at 7777 Waynetowne Blvd.
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