Hundreds flock to 15,000th Dollar General grand opening

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) —  Wilmington Mayor Bill Saffo declared July 14 Dollar General day after the company opened its 15,000th store in our very own Port City.

Dollar General celebrated the milestone in Wilmington by giving back to the community.

“My aunt, she was so excited cause they were giving away gift cards,” said one young boy.

A $10 gift card and goody bag to the first 500 customers, as well as complimentary donuts and coffee.

“We’ve had folks lined up as early as 5:30 this morning to get all the great goodies and gift cards and everything,” said Crystal Ghassemi, Dollar General Director of Public Relations.

The company also awarded $3,000 checks to five local schools.

Kim Clark, assistant principal at Williston Middle School, says all donations are a big help.

“It’s exciting! It’s going to be fun to take this money back and talk with our team about how we can use this money to increase literacy in our building,” said Clark.

For those who missed out on the gift cards and goody bags, Dollar General began giving out other items.

“Even something as simple as toilet paper and water, all that adds up when you give it away to the community,” said Wilmington resident Moses Canty.

Canty, who lives near the store, says he was excited to be a part of the store’s grand opening.

“It’s good for the community to see everyone coming out for something that was needed in this area for a while,” said Canty.

If not for the Dollar General sign, and Dollar General merchandise, you might think you were at a fair.

“We got food, music, everything,” said another young boy.

With plenty of vendors giving away food, drinks, and merchandise, and mascots to entertain the kids, the event was definitely a celebration.

And people seemed to enjoy the store as well.

“It was beautiful inside, and I enjoyed it, and I will be coming back,” said one woman.