Rapid City mall welcomes new tenants after recent departures

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RAPID CITY (AP) – A Rapid City mall has faced departures from major retailers and even a potential foreclosure as many national companies are reducing their numbers of stores or closing entirely.

But the Rushmore Mall has seen new businesses and even a museum look to fill its empty spaces.

The Rapid City Journal reports that local businessman John Johnson opened Trader's Market last month inside the mall's former Sears store. The market serves as a space for artisans to sell their work or entrepreneurs to build retail businesses.

Johnson is also working on opening a museum to memorialize Congressional Medal of Honor recipients. The museum to open Aug. 1 will occupy the former store of women's clothing retailer Charlotte Russe.

A Native American youth outreach and cultural center called I. AM. Legacy also recently opened in the mall.