The Walter Dollar General opened quietly Monday morning. (W.C. Mann for The Cullman Tribune)
WALTER – Some might think that quiet little Walter is the epitome of “the middle of nowhere,” but Dollar General doesn’t think so. On Monday, the retailer opened its newest Cullman County location in the small community, on Alabama Highway 91 midway between Hanceville and Holly Pond.
The once bustling community used to have multiple retail stores, a cotton gin, a school and the longtime landmark Henderson’s gas station and convenience store, but those have faded away over the years. The new Dollar General store, built on the site of the old cotton gin, marks a definite change of direction.
Store Manager Carla Aycock shared, “I think Dollar General’s mindset is to make somebody have to pass a Dollar General on their way to Wal-Mart, at least once, so they’ll stop. That’s my view of it.
“I kind of questioned it, too,” Aycock continued. “I thought, ‘Why would they do a Dollar General down here? There’s not that many people.’ And then yesterday, with people not even knowing we were open yet, we still seen 200 people that just live right over here, or live right over there, right here. I didn’t realize the community was this big, but it is!”
Aycock had planned to open at 4 p.m. this past Sunday, but problems with registers forced a delay. Even that afternoon, she reported, store staff had to turn away at least 30 people who showed up to shop.
The store, located at 32655 Alabama Highway 91, is open from 8 a.m. until 10 p.m. seven days a week, and is well-stocked with the typical Dollar General merchandise. It has a large grocery department for a non-market store. An official ribbon cutting will take place on Sept 8.
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