ANDERSON — Mayor Kris Ockomon and Ivan Planck of Planck Construction broke ground Wednesday on a 9,000-square-foot retail building on Anderson’s west side, in the 1800 block of Raible Avenue, that will house a Dollar General store. The site of the new building had formerly been a car lot and a residence. 

The store is expected to be ready for shoppers in October.

Mayor Ockomon said in a press release, “For too long now, citizens of the west side have had to drive across town to purchase their daily household items. The new Dollar General will put an end to that problem.”

The new retail location represents an $875,000 capital investment.

Linda Dawson, executive director of Economic and Community Development for the city of Anderson, added, “The west side is a greatly underserved market area, and Dollar General will be quite successful at this location. More projects are looking at this area and are beginning to discover the large untapped market in this area of the City. The Economic Development Department is continually showcasing this area as an investment opportunity.”

On May 7, the Anderson Board of Zoning Appeals approved plans for another new Dollar General, which will be located on 53rd Street. The store will use the space formerly taken by Hardee’s Restaurant.

Dollar General is the United States’ largest “small box” discount retailer and prides itself on its carefully selected product line, focused on bringing convenience and shopping variety to neighborhoods throughout the country.

Reporter Jessica Kerman contributed to this report.