‘It was essential’: Dollar General closes in Napier area

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) - The Dollar General on Lafayette Street has permanently closed. While that may not sound like a big deal to some, those in the Napier area say it was the only place they could walk to for toiletries and food.

Dozens stopped by on Friday looking to get essentials only to find the doors locked.

“We’re lost out here. This is a food desert, and we deserve better,” Donna Higgins, who lives nearby, said.

Council member Terry Vo told WSMV about 70% of those who live there don’t have access to a car, so they will have to find another way to get to a grocery store, either taking the bus or relying on friends.

“This place is not just a convenience store, right? Like, it’s not just convenience. It was essential. It’s essential for their life, so it means that there’s so much harm now with it being closed,” Vo said, “It’s a food apartheid, okay? There’s no grocery store that’s accessible.”

Higgins is trying to do her part, driving neighbors to grocery stores, but she says the responsibility can’t only fall on her.

“It’s not right for us to have to try to hustle around, which I do take people to the stores sometimes. I try to help out older people. I don’t mind doing it, but I’m just one person. Without help from the governor and the mayor, what can I do?” Higgins said.

According to police records, in the past three months police were called there 17 times for theft. Still, Dollar General had told Vo and neighbors just weeks ago that they would not close despite these issues.

“They’re telling the community, like, ‘We’re not going to close, we’re going to fix it.' To then completely go against your word. I mean, what does that say about being a community partner?” Vo said.

Vo is continuing to push for a grocery store to move into the area soon, so that everyone has access to healthy, fresh food.

“They’re fixing it up, the whole city. We pay taxes like everybody else pays taxes, and we deserve to have what we need in this area,” Higgins said.

We asked Dollar General about why they closed, they wrote

“At Dollar General, we continually evaluate our stores and how we can best serve our customers. After a thorough review, we made the decision to close our Lafayette Street location. Impacted employees were offered an opportunity to apply to one of our other stores in the area. We have a longstanding history in Nashville, having opened our first DG nearly 65 years ago in 1960. We remain committed to serving our customers at our additional locations within the City.”