BERNARDSTON — The recently constructed Dollar General at 115 Northfield Road is open for business, and earlier than anticipated.
“We opened a little bit early,” Store Manager Allie Demarco said.
The store will have a grand opening event on Saturday, Aug. 17, Demarco said, but being ready and able, staff decided to have a “soft opening” on Wednesday.
According to Bernardston Planning Board Chairwoman Christina Wysk, residents weren’t initially excited by the news that Dollar General would be coming to town.
Wysk said most of the concerns raised by residents who attended the initial public hearing on the store last fall related to the aesthetic of the building. Dollar General’s representatives then updated their building plans before the final approval.
“The feedback I’ve been getting is people are happy with the look of the building at this point,” Wysk said.
In December 2018, the Planning Board approved a plan for a 9,300-square-foot building with a 30-car parking lot. After some public speculation as to which business had plans for the site, the developer’s plan to specifically construct a Dollar General was indicated as a matter of public record in April.
At the time, Town Coordinator Lou Bordeaux believed the developers were hesitant to publicize the name after seeing public backlash against the proposal for another Dollar General store in Deerfield. The Deerfield development proposal was rejected by the Planning Board in December 2018.
When the Bernardston development was first proposed, residents raised concerns regarding traffic and speeding. Route 10 has a 45 mph speed limit and there are already issues with speeding, residents said at the time.
Residents were also wary of the store’s hours — daily from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. — and the lighting it would produce after nightfall. Other late-night businesses in town — primarily restaurants such as The Farm Table at Kringle Candle, the Four Leaf Clover and Antonio’s II — close at 9 p.m. at the latest.
Though residents can get a limited number of goods at the Country Corner Store, many travel to Greenfield to Big Y, Stop & Shop or Foster’s Supermarket for more substantial grocery purchases. The closest Walmarts are in Orange, Hadley and Hinsdale, N.H.
While the Bernardston Dollar General has just opened, Demarco said business is off to a decent start as residents have been starting to trickle in over the last few days.
The store is already open for its full hours, even leading up to the grand opening celebration on Aug. 17.
“There will be raffle prizes and the first 49 customers will get gift cards,” Demarco said.
The first customer on Wednesday also received a gift card. In addition to the raffle, vendors from Coke, Frito-Lay and more will be on site for the official grand opening day.
Zack DeLuca can be reached at zdeluca@recorder.com or 413-772-0261, ext. 264.