CHESHIRE, Mass. – After a turbulent few years, Dollar General is now open.

 

The store will hold a grand opening Saturday.

 

"It is a big relief and I have been looking forward to this for two years now," Store Manager John Berry said. "We want to provide convivence at affordable prices…and this is more than a general store. I call it the general store on steroids."

 

Dollar General first approached the town in 2014 and wanted to build on 12 South Street - the site of a decaying 19th-century Second Empire mansion.

 

After much criticism from citizens who vehemently opposed the box convenience store, the company put the project on pause.It returned to the town in 2016 with a new location on Route 8 and, although the company was still against a wall of angry citizens, the store met all zoning requirements and moved forward with construction.

 

The stored opened for business on June 22.

 

Berry, a Berkshire County native, said he also opened a store in Sheffield where equal opposition was met. He said everything ended up working out.

 

"It was the same thing there and it was hard to get in," he said. "But eventually people who said they would never come into the store did and I am sure we are going to see that here." 

 

Berry said so far business has been steady and residents seem to be warming up to the store. He added that they have been serving a lot of Appalachian Trail Hikers.

 

Berry said the store is special compared to other Dollar Generals has a new layout that only six other stores have.

 

"This is an entirely new format they started out with this last years and they call it a DG16," he said. "The overall organization of the store is so much nicer and convenient for the customer. This store is just 5,000 square feet. It’s a lot bigger than what you typically see."

 

He said the store has extra freezer space and carries name brands that are priced competitively with larger stores like Wal-Mart. 

 

He added that the store also has a more elaborate façade at the request of residents who battled with Dollar General architects in 2016 during a Planning Board Public Hearing.

 

The grand opening is Saturday morning a Berry said the first 50 customers will receive gift cards. He added that there will be free Dollar General mugs and bags.