Dollar General in Downtown Bedford had their official Grand Opening on Saturday, May 20th, 2018. There was quite the line outside waiting for the doors to open at 8AM. This may have had something to do with the fact that as part of their Grand Opening celebration, Dollar General gave out $10 gift card to the first 50 customers that morning. They also gave away brand themed bags and cups to any customer that shopped that day.
The Dollar General reportedly spent $1.5 million dollars renovating the building that became their new location. Renovations included repaving the parking lot, replacing the roof as well as completely re-outfitting the interior of the building. The building had previously been vacant for over a decade and
Trace Zornes, District Manager for Bedford’ Dollar General, said “We are excited to be moving into Bedford. We are looking to be good corporate neighbors and would like to support the Bedford Community in any way we can.” The manager of the store, Tina, was also excited to be able to run the store here in Bedford.
The Grand Opening event was attended by Mayor Stan Koci, Councilman Vic Fluharty (3), Councilwoman Heather Rhoades (5) and City Manager Mike Mallis. Mayor Koci officially cut the ribbon on the Dollar General store, ushering in this new business in our Downtown area.
The Dollar General was a much-debated issue in Bedford with one side feeling that the business was not in keeping with the look and feel that residents want and expect from the Downtown area, while the other side was excited to have the building they moved into, which had stood empty for more than 13 years, renovated as well as having a convenient shop to stop in at in Downtown Bedford.
The Bedford Dollar General is open 7 days a week and 364 days a year, only closing for the Christmas holiday. They open at 8am and close at 10pm. They offer a wide selection of products and groceries and serve much like a Woolworths or Ben Franklin stores did in decades past.
