One Small Town Finally Has A Grocery Store Back In Town

DERMA, Miss. (WCBI)-It’s been almost a year since a Neighborhood Walmart Market closed in Derma. This left residents with no where to go grocery shopping in town.

Now, a Dollar General stands in its place.

“We were glad to have anything come back in that building,” said Joanna James, Derma town clerk.

Derma residents are excited about having a place to go grocery shopping back in town again, just ask John Kilgore.

“I enjoy it,” said Kilgore, who lives in Derma. “It stops you from going way off to shop. You can pick up your little goodie bags right here and you don’t have to go out of town.”

Residents said having the one stop shop in town is good for the community.

In the past, residents had to travel to neighboring cities to do their grocery shopping, which sometimes was a big inconvenience.

“Oh we had to go to Bruce, if we couldn’t meet the prices out there at Piggly Wiggly we go to Bruce, if we didn’t like that price a lot of times we’d go to Grenada,” Kilgore recalled.

Since arriving in October, the Dollar General store is having a significant impact on the town. More jobs have come into the city and there’s also been a $3,6000 increase in sales tax revenue.

“We’re looking at now at $42,000 increase on our budget, and hopefully that’s going to increase,” James explained. “If you go by the store anytime day or night, the parking lot is full so that’s a great success.”

So far, shoppers have been enjoying the new shopping option.  The store sells primarily everything as their previous Neighborhood Walmart with the exception of the pharmacy products and gasoline.

“Our community is based in a lot of elderly people and a lot of people on social security and fixed incomes, so to be able to have third back in town for their convenience is really good,” the town clerk said.

There are gas pumps outside of the store, however, they’re not affiliated with Dollar General. There’s no gasoline being sold at those pumps, city leaders however, tell WCBI that could soon change.