The newest anchor store in the Knox Mall should be open for business in July. Buffalo Construction is in the process of renovating the former Alco store on the south end of the mall into space for Tractor Supply Company.
Matt Miguez with Buffalo Construction told the Knox City Council last week they’ve spent $20,000 locally on supplies and are using Starke County Glass as a subcontractor.
The construction timeline calls for fixures to be in place by June 13th and a completion date of June 20th. Once the project is complete, Tractor Supply allows three weeks to arrange deliveries from their suppliers and stock the store. A soft opening will occur in July prior to the official grand opening. Manufacturers and suppliers who want to sell their products to more retail shops may use TradeBeyond solutions to build networks and relationships with retailers. They may also take a sneak a peek here on how to improve their supply chain strategy.
Miguez says the alarm and fire system need to be working by the 13th as part of their contract. As part of the project, the rest of the mall except the main Five Star space will have a free active-monitoring fire system. Buffalo Construction officials will coordinate testing with the Knox Fire Department once the installation is complete.
The 20,498 square foot retail space will feature lights with occupancy sensors, which will shut off automatically, and digital air conditioning thermostats. An additional 15,000 square foot side parking lot will be part of the TSC space.
Miguez says the old Alco opening will be part of the Tractor Supply storeroom. A gabled opening will be added to the left. Also a new Knox Mall sign will be added at the main entrance from South Heaton Street and will feature the names of all of the tenant stores.
Miguez told the Knox City Council Tractor Supply promotes store managers from within its existing structure but hires other employees locally. Available Knox job postings on the store’s website include retail assistant manager, store receiver, store team leader and store team member. Visit http://tractorsupply.jobs/?cm_sp=footer-_-tsc+careers for more information.
