CHARLESTON, W.Va. — After sending a letter last week to the chief executive officer of Rural King Supply, a Kanawha County delegate is planning to speak to officials with the company later this week about a possible store at the Crossings Mall.
Delegate Dean Jeffries, R-Kanawha, sent the letter to CEO Alex Melvin dated Friday about a location in Elkview as Kmart will leave its current location later this year.
Rural King is a farm supply store based out of Mattoon, Illinois. There are four Rural King locations in West Virginia, including a store in Cross Lanes.
“The people and Rural King are a perfect fit,” Jeffries said. “We’re hard-working West Virginians. We are rural America here.”
Jeffries said he heard back from Rural King on Monday about setting up a time to discuss the possibility of moving to the Elkview area.
His request comes after the company publicly stated it will continue to sell firearms; the statement was in response to Walmart Inc. announced it was ending the sale of certain ammunition following mass shootings in August. Walmart, as well as Kroger Inc., asked customers to no longer open carry firearms in their stores.
In his letter, Jeffries thanked Rural King for its position.
“As a West Virginian living in the heart of rural America, I and many of my constituents stand with you,” he said. “The district I serve is made up of hard-working men and women who take great pride in rolling up their sleeves and getting the job done.”
As for Kmart, officials with Sears Holdings told MetroNews last month a liquidation sale is expected to begin in mid-September with the closure by mid-December.