Griffith will soon resume talks with Menards about its plans for redeveloping Griffith Park Plaza shopping center, which was long anchored by Kmart.
Last year, Menards halted its expansion plans, citing economic uncertainty. The home improvement store has been planning to move its older, smaller store at 6050 W. Ridge Road in the Ridge Plaza Shopping Center in unincorporated Calumet Township with a Gary address about a mile and a half to a Griffith site at the corner of Cline Avenue and Ridge Road just off the Borman Expressway.
Menards has already invested a significant amount in the property and likely needs to replace its aging store east on Ridge Road, Griffith Town Council President Rick Ryfa said.
"We're still waiting to see what they'll do," he said. "They have 10 million reasons from a business standpoint to eventually move forward with the old Kmart."
The Big Kmart closed in 2019 after the bankruptcy of the department store known for its blue light specials, which was once the second-largest retailer in the country.
Menards bought the Griffith Park Plaza for $9.25 million. It razed a wing of the outdoor mall that was once home to Rainbow Shops, Food King China Buffet, a nail salon, an Armed Forces recruiting center and Griffith Park Cinema I-II.
Menards spokesman Jeff Abbott has said the company is a family-owned firm that is holding off on spending money on new developments until it is more confident about the economic and political situation.
