Colman’s new business park is getting a Dollar General variety store this year.
The company, based in Tennessee, has agreed to build along Highway 34 near the east end of Hillcrest Industrial Park. It is the second business within the last year to locate there. Premier Drive Thru Storage build late last year, offering 10 drive-thru storage units for larger vehicles, such as RVs.
Dollar General will break ground the first part of May and intends to be open in September, said Colman Mayor Gloria Van Duyn.
“It will be such an asset to our community. It’s going to give outside people another place to stop in Colman to see what we have to offer,” she said. Colman gets traffic from people headed to Lake Madison and Lake Herman, giving the option for travelers to stop and pick up something they need. The community also has a campground, golf course and swimming pool that bring people to town in the summer.
In addition, the store will be helpful to older people in the community who don’t want to leave town to shop, she said. “This will have such a huge variety. It will be such a good thing for our senior citizens. They won’t have to go out of Colman to get toilet paper and some of the essentials that you need.”
Colman has a lumberyard with a hardware store in its industrial park that offers some general items for shoppers and has 34 Stop, a convenience store.
The new store also will offer local jobs, Van Duyn said.
Dollar General has more than 16,000 stores nationwide, including stores in nearby Flandreau and Dell Rapids. The store sells some groceries, snacks and beverages; cleaning supplies and household items; clothing; toys; cards and party supplies; décor; seasonal items; baby basics, and health and beauty. Merchandise is sold for various prices, depending on the product.
In the past year, Colman has grown rapidly with new houses going up. The community is working on opening up a new housing development area because all of the current lots are sold.
“We’re working on the next phase on that. Hopefully, we have that ready to go this year yet,” Van Duyn said. “We’re moving forward, and a lot of good things are happening.”
