James Rada, Jr.
You can be forgiven if you missed the opening of the new Dollar General Store at 501 E. Main Street in Emmitsburg. The doors opened on June 28, the same day that Emmitsburg Community Heritage Day was being held.
“A lot of times we have a soft opening and then have a larger grand opening later,” said James Menees with Dollar General Media Relations. “We haven’t set a date for the Emmitsburg grand opening yet.”
Dollar General has more than 12,000 stores in 43 states and is the country’s largest small-box discount retailer by sales. Dollar General anticipates opening 730 new stores in 2015, and plans to remodel or relocate an additional 875 stores.
“We offer customers convenience and a mix of products that they use daily,” Menees said.
The Emmitsburg Dollar General is a traditional design. It has 7,300 square feet of retail space and 9,100 total square feet. Customers can find frozen foods, household goods, and non-perishable foods. Although the prices are inexpensive, the products aren’t off brands.
Menees said that the corporation looked at customer needs, demographic trends, traffic, and competition before deciding on whether or not to build a store in town.
Besides offering a new shopping venue for residents of Emmitsburg, it is also creating local employment.
Robert Bennett is the store manager
