By Roger Estlack, Clarendon Enterprise
Construction is underway on a new Family Dollar store that is set to open in Clarendon in mid-April.
Property owner and developer Jim Gunn of Montgomery says the foundation of the 8,000-square-foot store will be completed this week with the parking lot to be done Saturday. Metal for the building in the 400 block of West Second Street (US 287) will be here next Thursday and be assembled in about five days.
Gunn built a similar Family Dollar store in Shamrock last year that is essentially the same as the store here, and he looked at Clarendon while working on that project.
Gunn develops properties and then leases them to Family Dollar, and he said several factors attracted him to Clarendon.
“You’ve got a junior college there which makes the economy more stable, and you’ve got a base population that we thought we could serve,” he said. “You’re just more stable than most communities.”
Gunn also credited local officials as being positives when considering Clarendon.
“The city was phenomenal with their help,” Gunn said. “Mr. Little (former city administrator) and the city secretary answered questions and were great to work with. I can honestly say if every city was that helpful, I would be building a lot more stores.”
Gunn said the helpfulness and attitude of city officials “makes a difference in swaying a company.”
The Family Dollar project took about nine months to get started, and Gunn said it took that long for planning and to get the financing in order.
The project represents an investment of about $750,000 in Clarendon, Gunn said.
The store, located just east of Lowe’s Family Center, will employ three to five people full-time when completed and will be open seven days a week.
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