A DG Market offically opened along State Road 135 in Trafalgar this week after months of anticipation.
Jayden Kennett | Daily Journal
After months of anticipation, Trafalgar residents have a new place to shop for groceries and more.
Since March, Trafalgar residents have slowly observed the construction of a new DG Market at 1242 State Road 135. The market, an affiliate of Dollar General, officially opened its doors with a soft launch Wednesday.
The 12,480-square-foot building will sell items typically found at a Dollar General, along with fresh fruits, vegetables, meats and other foods. With no grocery stores in town, the market will provide close-by access to fresh foods to residents for the first time in years. Their first delivery of fresh fruits and vegetables arrived on Friday.
Trafalgar has “long-awaited” a grocery option and has been meticulous in choosing what grocery option would best meet the needs of residents, Bryan Gregg, the town’s manager and building commissioner, previously said.
Now, residents can purchase a week’s worth of meals without leaving town or traveling far, Gregg said. Trafalgar now has access to fresh fruits, vegetables and meats that they have not had before, he said.
The market is the first commercial space built under the town’s newly-established building standards. The building was required to have a block and brick facade, window walls, awnings and green space for decorative bushes, flowers and trees. Developers were also required to have a sidewalk around the property.
”The new standards are what makes the building attractive, and heightened the interest in the project by many, with window walls, awnings, greenbelts and other complementary factors,” Gregg said. “This store is going to serve Trafalgar and the surrounding communities well.”
The project faced some delays due to the inspection process and staff “holding contractors and developers accountable to deliver the products they promised to Trafalgar,” Gregg said.
The ultimate factor that led to a delay was a manufacturer delay in creating the window walls, Gregg said. Once the windows were delivered, the work was expedited.
The final product is “wonderful” for the town, Gregg said.
Some residents expressed their excitement at having a grocery option close by on social media. The DG Market was exactly what Trafalgar needed, they said.
Madison Kuhlman shopped with her family at the store for the first time on Thursday afternoon. She was impressed with how clean and spacious the new store was, she said.
Kuhlman had been driving 20 minutes to the Franklin Kroger for grocery trips before the DG Market was complete, she said. For quick trips, the DG Market will be great, she said.
