By Skip Schulz/For the Gazette Construction on the new Dollar General Store in Ontonagon is progressing. Bruce Crossing will also be getting a new Dollar General Store.

Dollar General is opening two new stores in Ontonagon County: one in the village of Ontonagon, and the other in Bruce Crossing.

Construction on both stores is taking place right now, with the grand opening at both locations slated for this coming fall.

“Dollar General is excited to bring a new location to 436 Heard St. in Ontonagon, Michigan, and 14679 Highway M 28 in Bruce Crossing, Michigan,” said Angela Petkovic, Dollar General corporate media relations.

What prompted Dollar General to open the two new stores, Petkovic stated, was meeting customer’s needs.

“The company looks for places where we can offer customers an easy and convenient shopping choice,” said Petkovic.  “We know convenience is a major factor in our customers’ shopping decisions as we generally serve customers within a three-to-five-mile radius, or 10 minute drive.”

While Family Dollar opened a new store in Ontonagon and Watersmeet, Petkovic stated that Dollar General looked at demographic trends, competitive factors, traffic patterns and community concerns.

The Bruce Crossing store will be slightly larger than the Ontonagon location. Bruce Crossing will be 7,300 square feet, while the Ontonagon store will be 7,200 square feet.

Dollar General sells quality name-brand and private brand merchandise such as health and beauty products, home cleaning supplies, housewares, stationery, seasonal items and basic clothing.

“We also sell an assortment of packaged foods, as well as some refrigerated foods and frozen foods. In addition to high quality private brands,” said Petkovic. “Dollar General sells products from America’s most-trusted brands such as Procter & Gamble, Kimberly-Clark, Unilever, Kellogg’s, General Mills, Nabisco, Hanes, PepsiCo and Coca-Cola.”

Petkovic told the Daily Mining Gazette that Dollar General is deeply involved in the communities it serves and is an ardent supporter of literacy and education through the Dollar General Literacy Foundation (DGLF). “This award grants each year to nonprofit organizations, schools and libraries within a 20-mile radius of a Dollar General Store or distribution center to support adult, family, summer and youth literacy programs.”

Since its inception in 1993, the DGLF has awarded more than $146 million in grants to nonprofit organizations, helping more than nine million individuals take their first steps toward literacy or continued education. For more information about the Dollar General Literacy Foundation and its grant programs, visit www.dgliteracy.com.

Both stores will employ approximately 6-10 employees, depending on the individual needs of the store. Anyone interested in joining one of the country’s fastest-growing retailers may apply for available positions online at www.dollargeneral.com/careers.