Remember the old slogan, “who says a dollar won’t buy much anymore? Every day is dollar day at the Dollar General Store.”
Well, my hometown, Heiskell, Tennessee, now has its own Dollar Store. Without a lot of fanfare, they broke ground at the corner of Heiskell Road and Raccoon Valley Road. After several months they are now open. It’s been a soft opening. No big signs announcing, “Grand Opening.” Shelves are mostly stocked. It’s my understanding that they will slowly add frozen foods and produce as the customer base grows.
Now before some people start to formulate their comments about the company let me say this. I hear people accuse them of charging high prices in low-income areas. I cruised the aisles and didn’t see this to be the case. That plus you can’t compare them to the big grocery stores because the big stores don’t come to little communities like ours.
I am very familiar with this company through my many years as a volunteer with Employers Support of the Guard and Reserve. My job was as ombudsman to mediate between employers and their employees who were reservists when there were alleged violations. I never had a case involving Dollar General Store. On the contrary, Dollar General Store received local and national recognition because of their proactive initiative to hire members of the Guard and Reserve.
The parking lot at this new store is amazing. It is made of pavers instead of asphalt or poured concrete. These pavers allow water to soak in the ground rather than run off into the nearby creek.
I for one appreciate this company investing in our little community. We often feel invisible. We have inadequate roads to handle the huge amount of traffic using Raccoon Valley Road as a connector to I-75. Minimal fire protection due to low subscription revenue for Rural Metro from our residents. Being stuck in a corner of the county has its drawbacks.
I’m glad that at least one entity, Dollar General, sees our little slice as a place worthy of investment.
Welcome to Heiskell!
Dan Arp is retired and lives in Heiskell.