TUTWILER — The refurbished Dollar General store here has been open for business about two weeks.
A spokesperson for Dollar General Media Relations said the store, located at 220 Highway 49 in Tutwiler, “soft opened” on Dec. 1.
It had been closed nearly eight months — since an April 11 fire inflicted extensive fire, water and smoke damage. Investigators later ruled the fire was deliberately set, but no one has been arrested in the arson case.
Despite the damage, the store was deemed structurally sound enough that the building did not have to be torn down. Instead, contractors repaired and/or replaced components both inside and outside the metal building.
The company noted recently that the revamped store features “a fresher layout with approximately 7,200 square feet of selling space.”
The addition of a produce section is, perhaps, the biggest retail change.
The Tutwiler store features “a curated assortment of fresh fruits and vegetables including lettuce, tomatoes, onions, apples, strawberries, potatoes, sweet potatoes, lemons, limes, salad mixes and more,” noted a company email on Monday.
Tutwiler Mayor Nichole Harris-Rosebud said she personally requested the produce section, which was not in the original design when the store first opened in August 2018.
The mayor recently said she was “happy” with the new produce line, noting, “we’re in a food desert and it’s so hard for us to get fresh fruits and vegetables.”
