The dollar store was closed after a racist attack that killed three Black people.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — For the first time since August, the Dollar General on Kings Road is back open to the public.
The re-opening comes after a racially motivated attack, killing three Black people on the property.
Dollar General said they wanted to open the store again but in a respectful and thoughtful manner. In a little over four months, the company had the interior of the store remodeled. Not much changed on the outside, except there is a plaque by the front door that reads “Jacksonville Strong”.
On Friday, there were no long lines or large crowds. Occasionally, a handful of people would show up to shop. Dana Dunn described this day as, “history in the making.” She showed up to buy a few items and see what changed for herself.
“It’s like they took the other store and got rid of it and it’s clean,” Dunn said. “You can’t tell anything happened in there.”
Dollar General said they added wider aisles, new lighting and flooring, even including a produce section. That was one reason Pastor W. James Stewart, showed up. He encourages residents to pay the business a visit.
“Everything looks nice on the inside but my heart thought about those, goes back to the ones who lost their loved ones and I really feel sorry for the family,” Stewart said. “We cannot allow the enemy to shut us down completely. We must move forward.”
The area is a low-income community and it’s considered a food desert, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s interactive map. Dollar General said that store’s location has 16 feet of produce.
However, the reopening was not well received from everyone in the community. Roosevelt Pinkney believes keeping the business is a disservice to the victims and their family.
“This is where people lost their lives,” Pinkney pointed at the store. “They lost their loved ones. They lost a dad. They lost a mom. They lost family members. Who wants to come to a store where a tragedy happened.”
To Dunn, one can talk about the tragedy but they cannot erase what happened. She encourages people to learn from it “and be more secure.” In a community torn apart because of hate, they’re trying to move forward the best way they know how.
