A ceremonial groundbreaking May 30 marked the soon-to-begin construction of a Rural King farm and home store at the Shoppes at Warrenton mall.The ceremony was led by officials with the city of Warrenton, Rural King and the Shoppes at Warrenton. Speakers described Rural King as a sign of significant economic development coming in the near future.Rural King CEO Alex Melvin participated in the groundbreaking, stating that Rural King had been drawn to Warrenton because of the potential it sees for this area.“We’re coming because of growth. It’s just obvious,” Melvin commented, complimenting the city government for positive steps it has taken to help bring the store to Warrenton. “You guys are going to see a lot of success over the next five years as the market continues to grow this way.”He added that the city’s new Interstate 70 interchange just west of the mall is “a big deal to get this place going.”When considering a store in Warrenton, Melvin said Rural King drew confidence from the success of its Wentzville store, where he said Warrenton residents make up a significant portion of the customers.Melvin later told the Record that although construction is beginning a little late in the season, crews will work hard to get the store open as soon as possible, aiming for this fall.“We’re going to go at it as hard as we can,” he commented.Warrenton Mayor Eric Schleuter said the city is very excited to have Rural King coming. He thanked the city staff who have been working behind the scenes to make this development possible, and the citizens who have supported efforts to create economic growth.Art King, president of the parent company that owns the Shoppes at Warrenton mall, added that Rural King is expected to bring about 80 jobs and new tax revenue to the area, and will spur other economic development.Also speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony were State Sen. Jeanie Riddle and State Rep. Bryan Spencer, whose district includes Wright City and Wentzville.Residents of Warrenton have been anticipating the coming of Rural King since 2016, when the store was a selling point for voter approval of two half-cent sales taxes to pay for the new I-70 interchange. Rural King announced in March 2018 that it had contracted to purchase land for building a new store adjacent to the existing mall.The city of Warrenton is providing a major tax incentive to spur development at the mall. Rural King could receive up to $5 million in tax increment financing, or TIF, to help reimburse its development costs. TIF is a system in which a portion of any new tax revenue generated at the mall will be used to help repay the cost of development.In September 2017, city officials hosted a different ceremonial groundbreaking near the Rural King site to mark the future construction of the new I-70 interchange.

Rural King CEO Alex Melvin tells a crowd of onlookers how excited the company is to build in Warrenton during a time of growth. Melvin spoke during a groundbreaking ceremony May 30 ahead of construction of a store in Warrenton. 

Record photo/Adam Rollins