People in Greenville flock to newly rebuilt Dollar General destroyed by fire

GREENVILLE, N.C. (WITN) -For the first time since last summer, people in Greenville could be spotted Monday carrying the bold yellow Dollar General bag out of the store on Stantonsburg Road.

“I really didn’t know for a long time if it was coming back or not,” said customer Barbara Bullington.

Back on July 14th, 2022, several fire crews were actively hosing down the store from a fire that police say a 13-year-old boy started.

“It looked like half of the building was gone,” Bullington said.

According to police, the boy set merchandise on fire while two employees were inside of the store. He was later charged with two counts of attempted first-degree murder.

The store closed for nearly eight months, leaving customers like Ella Battle wishing she could grab her daily work snacks.

“I work here in Greenville, so I missed this one because as soon as I get off the highway I come here,” Battle said.

A lot of work was put in to get the store rebuilt and back open. Bullington says it feels just like home again.

“I was actually walking through the first aisle and I was like I can’t believe there was a fire here,” Bullington said. “It doesn’t look like it, you’d never even know.”

As part of the reopening, the Dollar General store says it will donate 100 new books to a nearby elementary school.

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