THEDFORD—East of Thedford, at the junction of U.S. 83 north and Nebraska Highway 2 (the Sandhills Journey Scenic Byway) a national chain store opened its doors.
Dollar General, headquarters in Goodlettsville, Tennessee, had a soft opening for its latest store, one of 14,000 nationwide with more being planned. Kristie Giles, Halsey native, was hired as general manager. The commute is less than 20 miles to work versus over an hour when she would travel to Broken Bow. “There are nine employees, from Dunning to Mullen.”
The hours will be seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. “We will have weekly specials, and during holiday week-ends, will have a three-day week-end special. Of course, we will be closed on major holidays, such as Christmas.”
Giles has lived near Thedford all her life, she knows the concern many locals have about this national chain store affecting the business of the locally owned grocery store, Ewoldt’s Grocery, which is a mile and a half to the west.
“I am a local, I know what Ewoldt’s has and what it has meant to the community, but I think we can complement each other,” she said; a seemingly canned sentiment that was also expressed from one of the contractors during the building process that was interviewed earlier. “We do not carry fresh produce; our meat too is packaged not fresh,” she explained. “If we don’t have it, I will send them up to Ewoldt’s.”
Time will tell whether this newest offering for consumer’s dollars will benefit or be a detriment to Ewoldt’s Grocery, a locally owned, family business that has been a staple in the grocery business and a community supporter for three generations, first in Stapleton, and since 2001 in Thedford.
