Sasser breaks ground on new Dollar General location

SASSER – Leaders of the town of Sasser broke ground on the site of a future Dollar General Store, on July 14. 

The store, which is currently hiring as construction begins, is situated on 127 U.S. Highway 82. Shentoria Baisden, the town’s clerk, said there is a strong need for a store with fresh and affordable food products in Sasser. The lack of access designates Sasser as a food desert. Mayor Danielle Vanhousen said the project manager expects the store to be open by October.

“When I started working on this … we really didn’t have a store here,” Baisden said. “In July 2023, after numerous citizens expressed the need for a Dollar General in the community, I took the initiative as city clerk to reach out to developers to gather information and establish contact. Throughout this process, the mayor, city council members, and citizens have been fully supportive.”

Sasser’s population was 270 in 2023, according to census data. It has a few businesses – two small trucking companies, a restaurant/hunting store and some trinket stores – but no grocery store. Despite the small population and business footprint, the city reports that Highway 82, which runs through the town, sees up to 15,000 vehicles per day. Baisden wrote in a letter to Dollar General developers that locations like the Sasser RV Park, Mark’s Melon Patch and the future Rails to Trails trailhead are attractors that bring people into the town.

“A Dollar General store in Sasser would cater to the local community and attract travelers seeking a reliable and easily accessible store for their essential purchases,” she said. 

However, Baisden said the lack of available property owned by the city to develop created a challenge at first. In 2023, she said she began looking into potential locations. The chosen site had to be purchased from a private landowner. Baisden said there’s been strong interest from citizens in Bronwood, where she also serves as a councilwoman, to bring a Dollar General there as well. However, it faces the same lack of available land. 

Terrell County residents flooded a Terrell County Chamber of Commerce post about the new store with excited comments expressing the need for the store. Many pointed to the need in Terrell’s other municipalities, Parrott and Bronwood, as well.

However, some expressed concerns over increased traffic and greater chances of car accidents along the highway. Others expressed disappointment over a “repeat” store. 

“Enough with the duplicate stores already & the ones that we really don’t need,” Liz Mead commented. “How about putting up some grocery stores or fresh produce stores that people can afford to shop at?”

Still, Baisden said it’s been mostly excitement toward the new store. Vanhousen, who moved with her family to Dawson in 2016, said the store will be a boost for Sasser’s economy, generating more sales tax revenue and creating much-needed job opportunities.

“I think it’s gonna have a great impact,” Baisden said. “All of my local citizens are very happy. They won’t have to go into Dawson or Albany just to pick things up.”