Ebony is located in southern Brunswick County, VA - en route to Lake Gaston from I-85
DOLLAR GENERAL IS NOT NEEDED AND NOT A FIT FOR ebony, VA
Dollar General's aggressive business model is targeting rural America in particular, in part because of no or lax land use management. Communities across the country are now pushing back.
Their strategy is to build stores within 10 miles of each other all over the country - with no consideration for whether they make sense for the community. They simply need to find a willing land owner. There are places where a Dollar General may be helpful; the Ebony community is not one. It is not needed, will simply be an eyesore, and will do harm.
While you will always find folks who love Dollar General "convenience and low pricing", regardless of the location and the harmful side effects, the overwhelming voice of Ebony, nearby communities including our Lake Gaston friends, and beyond are saying NO - loud and clear.
Bringing Dollar General to Ebony will completely destroy the identity and character of the community that has been preserved for more that 100 years -- and put our 2 local stores at risk. In addition to the 2 local communities business locations, there are two Dollar Generals within 6 and 10 miles of this proposed setting in Ebony, plus a Family Dollar, Ace Hardward, DrugCo, and Food Lion within 6.5 miles.
The proliferation of Dollar General stores especially in sparsely populated rural areas is a problem within itself and does not even make business sense. These stores are essentially competing for the same trade and not growing new business. When a store underperforms, it is closed and then what? The essence of the community will have already been destroyed and because the location is zoned business, there will be essentially no control on what may follow.
Pushing Back
The alleged business development "benefits" for the County of bringing in Dollar General will be more than offset by the negative impacts to the community and its citizens.
Communities, like Ebony, are now stepping up to push back and add more rigor to assessing the fit for Dollar General in a community.
We are holding each other and our leadership accountable for considering the whole picture: looking at the true need, whether it is a fit for the location, and the overall cost and benefit to the community and county.
Sadly, 3 of 5 Brunswick County Supervisors elected to ignore the whole picture and voted on 1/29/20 to approve rezoning that opens the door for Dollar General in Ebony. An Appeal was filed on 2/28/20 and currently underway.