Taking A Walk

by Dwayne Phillips

Okay, what is the most popular business in America?

We have seen plenty of car and truck repair places on the road. Other frequent businesses are:

1. gas stations
2. yard sales
3. flea markets
4. tractor supply stores

But what is the most popular national franchise business? The fast food places like McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Taco Bell?

No, it is the humble dollar store.

Add up the number of Dollar General, Family Dollar, and Dollar Tree stores and you dwarf everything else. A town has to have a certain population to qualify for a McDonald’s. The population required for any of the dollar stores is minuscule in comparison.

We have walked through many small towns that had a gas station, a post office, and a couple of dollar stores. These dollar stores are the “general stores” and “five and dime” stores of the past. Not everything in these stores costs a dollar or less, but just about everything you would want is in the store.