Staff writer
Dollar General will open its doors for shoppers Sunday, albeit without much fanfare for now.
Spokeswoman Katie Kile said a grand opening would come in early January, but the store would be open for business much sooner than that “to get things started.”
The opening means Marion citizens will be able to do Christmas shopping there. Kile said the store will have Christmas décor and gifts, from toys to small electronics, as well as gift cards and candy.
“All the basics you would need to get the holiday season going,” Kile said.
Grand openings often have door prizes, Kile said, with the first 50 adult customers receiving $10 gift cards and the first 100 receiving free tote bags. She also said coupons will be sent to area homes prior to that event.
The project is the culmination of a years-long economic development goal of opening a discount retail chain in the city since the 2010 closure of Duckwalls, Mayor Todd Heitschmidt said.
“It puts us back on the same footing, and probably better, than when Duckwalls was here. That’s a positive step,” he said. “We’re getting back to where we were at, but with a little more potential.”
Heitschmidt said the retailer will be a boon for the city economically by increasing its tax base.
“The sales tax dollars, the real estate taxes, those things that have been missed, that’s awesome,” he said. “It’s just one piece of the puzzle of trying to build back a more solid economic base for the city.”