BEEVILLE — The new Dollar General store at 1207 S. Washington St. went up so fast that most Beeville residents were taken by surprise when they first noticed it.

Now, the city’s second Dollar General will celebrate its grand opening Saturday with free food and drinks and $10 gift cards to the first customers through the door.

“We’ve been open since the first (Nov. 1),” new manager Angie Johnson said. Although the business now has 10 employees, Johnson said she is still taking applications.

“We need employees at the other store,” she said.

So that doubles the opportunity for someone to find a job in the next few weeks.

The new store not only has everything the store at 100 W. Huntington St. has, but it also offers four aisles of popular Hispanic items not available there.

“We have Hispanic baking items, foods, sodas and laundry items here,” Johnson said.

The manager has lived in Beeville two years but she started with the company only a year ago.

Johnson is hoping to see a lot of shoppers entering the store on Saturday because she and her staff have 200 reusable bags to give away that day.

And each bag will be stuffed with free goodies.

Gary Kent is a reporter at the Bee-Picayune and can be reached at 358-2550, ext. 120, or at reporter@mySouTex.com.