A family-owned retailer from Moberly is moving into the space recently vacated by Wal-Mart in Louisiana.
Orscheln Farm & Home plans to remodel and be open by next spring in the 30,000-square-foot east end of the Twin Pike Shopping Center on Georgia Street at the west end of the city.
“We’re glad to be in Louisiana,” said Orscheln spokeswoman Debi Wybert. “The decision was made that Louisiana would be a good market for us.”
“We’re quite pleased,” said Louisiana City Administrator Bob Jenne. “It won’t generate as much sales tax as Wal-Mart, but in these times every little bit helps.”
Wybert said the ink was still wet on the deal and could not provide a cost for the purchase or say how many employees would be hired.
“We’re still in the very early stages,” Wybert said. “We’re saying spring 2010. We haven’t put down a date yet.”
Wal-Mart had about 70 workers in Louisiana and had been an anchor tenant of the shopping center since 1976. The retailer closed the store when a 99,611-square-foot Supercenter opened in nearby Bowling Green on Oct. 14.
Jenne was as surprised as other Louisiana civic leaders that the Twin Pike space was grabbed so quickly. The shopping center’s other anchor is a Kroger grocery. There also is a discount retailer, two restaurants and a couple of service businesses.
“We had some talks (with other retailers) about the possibility of expansion, but that never really happened,” Jenne said.
Orschlen offers farm products, animal health, livestock feed, pet supplies, lawn and garden equipment, hardware, plumbing and electrical materials, automotive items and sporting goods. It also features a line of clothing.
“Louisiana doesn’t have a lot of what we bring to the farming community,” Wybert said. “We feel like it would be a good mix.”
Orscheln built a 26,250-square-foot store along Business 61 in Bowling Green. It opened in July less than a half-mile from the new Wal-Mart Supercenter.
The store is doing “very well,” Wybert said.
