Dollar General Market to hold grand opening in Silver Lake

SILVER LAKE (KSNT) - Dollar General will be holding a grand opening for its new location in Silver Lake taking over the former Wehner's Supermarket.

On Tuesday, Oct. 22 Dollar General issued a press release announcing the opening of the new location. The Dollar General Market will have a grand opening at 8 a.m. on Oct. 26 at 10020 Northwest US-24. The first 50 customers will receive complimentary $10 gift cards.

As part of the grand opening, Dollar General will be donating 100 books to Silver Lake Elementary. Additionally, Dollar General said the We Are Silver Lake Association is planning to dedicate a mural designed by Alexander Lancaster on the building. Local residents can paint handprints on the mural until 10 a.m.

“We are particularly grateful for DG's partnership with We Are Silver Lake,” said Liz Steckel from We Are Silver Lake. “Their commitment to preserving the new mural on the store's wall—a mural that encapsulates the rich history and spirit of our community—demonstrates their respect and dedication to the people they will soon be serving.

Dollar General said they expect the new location to employ 10-15 people.

"We are excited to provide Silver Lake residents with our new DG Market format and look forward to welcoming customers to our new location," said Matthew Simonsen, Dollar General’s senior vice president of real estate and store development. “At Dollar General, we believe the addition of our new Silver Lake store provides positive economic growth for the community through the creation of new jobs and career growth opportunities; increased accessibility to affordable products; the generation of tax revenue and access to Dollar General Literacy Foundation grants.”

In January, Wehner’s Thriftway, a supermarket that served the community of Silver Lake since 1969, announced it would be closing its location in Silver Lake. At the time, the store management said the other Wehner's Thriftway in Rossville wasn't at risk of closure.

Employees at Wehner's helped organize a fundraiser for Donice Wade, who worked at the business since 2001, following the closure announcement. Christy Hanson organized the fundraiser to help Wade fix up her car as Wehner's prepared to close for the last time.

“There’s always been a lot of community pride in Silver Lake. We’ve always been about helping your neighbors, helping your friends, and watching out for each other,” Wade said in May 2024.

Later, in May, Wehner’s Thriftway in Rossville announced it was changing ownership. The manager of the grocery store told 27 News that new owners would take over operations on May 30.

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