The Rome News-Tribune reports the new Rural King store at Mount Berry Mall is expected to hold its grand opening in mid-March, according to sources. The 85,000-square-foot store is moving into the former Sears space, and officials say the location is fully staffed with workers currently stocking tens of thousands of items throughout the building. Plans also include about 35,000 square feet of outdoor space for displaying tractors and other heavy equipment.

Rural King is known as a “farm-and-home” retailer, typically carrying a wide range of rural-living essentials—from livestock and pet feed to workwear, lawn and garden supplies, tools, and other home and outdoor products. The company was founded in Illinois in 1960 and has built a strong following in small towns and regional hubs by offering a broad selection geared toward farmers, landowners, and families who live—and work—outdoors.

In recent years, Rural King has expanded well beyond its Midwestern roots, opening and planning additional locations across the South, including Georgia and neighboring states. The Rome location is part of that continued growth, bringing one of the chain’s larger-format stores to Northwest Georgia and adding a new anchor-style draw to Mount Berry Mall.