Dollar Tree store headed to Clovis

The nation’s largest $1 discount variety store chain will make its debut in the Clovis area by the end of the summer, local officials say.

Dollar Tree Stores Inc. is renovating the former Heilig-Meyers building on North Prince Street, said Clovis developer Bill Giese.

“They’re remodeling that building right now,” he said. “Dollar Tree will be coming here in August.”

“The size of our new store in Clovis is 27,000 square feet,” said Cindee Bailey, promotions coordinator for Dollar Tree Stores Inc., based in Chesapeake, Va. “It is one of the larger Dollar Trees we will be operating. We will hire between 30 and 50 associates in a mix of full-time and part-time positions. The final determination will be made once the store is opened.”

Bailey said Dollar Trees are “extremely popular” with the shopping public “because everybody likes a great bargain.

“We sell great merchandise, not just junk, which you may think of when you think of a dollar store,” she said. “A Dollar Tree store distinguishes itself by its exceptional merchandise.”

Ernie Kos, executive director of the Clovis/Curry County Chamber of Commerce, said she was pleased with the news of Dollar Tree coming to the Clovis area.

“We welcome every single business and the subsequent jobs it creates in our community,” she said.

Homer Tankersley, owner of Dollar Days Store, 508 N. Main St., said he was the first to establish a dollar discount store in the area.

“They’ve got to be big to fill a store like the Heilig-Meyers store,” he said. “Sure, they’ll make an impact when they come in. In the beginning when they open, they will affect the dollar store business here in the area. How severe or how long, I don’t know.”

Cathy Romero, assistant manager of the Family Dollar Store at 320 W. 21st St., said she didn’t think Dollar Tree would make that much of an impact on their business.

“The products they carry are different from what we carry,” she said. “Everything they carry are all $1 each. We have more of a variety of products — food, chemicals, shoes, clothes. To me, there’s a big distinction between our two stores. When I was in San Antonio, there were a lot of Dollar Tree stores there, but there wasn’t any problem.”

Dollar Tree Stores Inc. offers a vast array of products including housewares, seasonal goods, food, toys, party goods, personal accessories, books, candles and more — everything for a dollar, store officials said.

The company operates 2,319 stores in 41 states as of May 3, as well as seven distribution centers, according to a company press release.