Dollar General construction underway; new Autryville store targets early 2024

The construction of a new Dollar General is underway in Autryville, with a target opening of early 2024, company officials are now estimating.

Both Autryville Mayor Grayson Spell and Dollar General confirmed that the build is currently under construction at the new location. In an initial story in the Independent last week, it was reported that a site was targeted at the corner of N.C. Highway 24 and East Williams Street. According to the updated news from Dollar General, the specific address will be at 1123 East Williams St., Autryville.

While construction has begun, an opening date is pending, but a winter 2024 opening — around January to February — is being projected.

“At this time, a store opening is slated for winter 2024, but understand that construction progress may alter this date,” a Dollar General rep told The Independent. “Please feel free to check back with us on a periodical basis for updates.”

The new information highlighted that the new store will look to employ approximately 10-15 employees but that number is dependent on the individual needs of the store. They also mentioned that anyone interested in joining their organization may apply for any of those available positions online at — www.dollargeneral.com/careers.

As for what made Dollar General decide to finally come to Autryville after all this, time they shared this.

“Our customers are at the center of all that we do, and meeting customers’ needs is Dollar General’s top priority when choosing store locations,” the PR team stated. “In selecting store sites, we take a number of factors into consideration, carefully evaluating each potential new store location to ensure we can continue to meet our customers’ price, value and selection needs. We further strive to provide convenience for customers who may not have affordable nearby retail options.”

Some of the many products Dollar General sells include, name-brand and private brand merchandise such as foods, health and beauty products, home cleaning supplies, housewares, stationery, seasonal items and basic clothing. In addition to those, they also carry Clorox, Procter & Gamble, Kimberly-Clark, Unilever, Kellogg’s, General Mills, Nabisco, Hanes, PepsiCo and Coca-Cola.

Also of note, they shared that opening Dollar General isn’t the extent of what they’ll be planning to do once they open in Autryville. As with each new location they look to aid in tackling literacy issues in the communities they serve.

With that goal in mind they’ll be look to bring in the Dollar General Literacy Foundation.

“Dollar General gives its customers more than everyday low prices on merchandise as part of its mission of ‘Serving Others,’” Dollar General stated in the release. “Dollar General is deeply involved in the communities it serves and is an ardent supporter of literacy and education through the Dollar General Literacy Foundation, which awards grants each year to nonprofit organizations, schools and libraries within a 15-mile radius of a Dollar General store or distribution center to support adult, family, summer and youth literacy programs. Since its inception in 1993, the DGLF has awarded more than $238 million in grants to nonprofit organizations, helping more than 19.6 million individuals take their first steps toward literacy or continued education.”

The Dollar General Literacy Foundation also supports individuals in the communities that DG stores serve who may be interested in learning how to read, speak English or prepare for the high school equivalency test. Referrals to a local organization that provides free literacy services are available by a postage-paid reply card, that can be mailed in for information, is available at the cash register of every Dollar General store.

For more information about the Dollar General Literacy Foundation and its grant programs, visit www.dgliteracy.com.