With 17,500 stores already open and hundreds more in the works, chances are there’s a Dollar General literally rising near you. The newest store in Fayetteville, however, is rising from the ashes.

The discount retailer is opening a thousand stores a year and the 1302 Ramsey St. location was only a year old, emblematic of the Tennessee-based chain’s torrid ascent. But on a Sunday night last fall, the business that was figuratively “on fire” suddenly went up in flames, literally.

The store was still open when an interior fire was reported at 8:30 on the night of Sept. 13. No one was injured, but the building was badly damaged.

“There was fire damage to the point where the building was declared a total loss,” said Richard Vincent, an executive vice president with Rhetson Companies Inc. Based in West End, near Pinehurst, the combined real estate development and construction company has built more than 200 stores for Dollar General, including the Ramsey Street location.

The blaze was investigated by the Fayetteville Fire Department. The Business Journal asked the fire department for details of the probe, but as of Wednesday afternoon officials had refused to release the results.

Dollar General, of course, isn’t the only player in the growing discount-variety-store market. But the company’s success is evidence that it has developed a very deliberate, straightforward strategy — low prices and a somewhat limited inventory focused on necessities that are proven sellers.

Another key part of the formula is having the right store in the right location. Since Dollar General is in so many communities (often in very different parts of those communities) the company developed different formats, including DG Traditional, DG Traditional Plus, DG Plus and DG Market. Each varies in size and product selection and is matched with the community it's intended to serve. (The Ramsey Street location was a DG Traditional, as will be the rebuilt store.)

“Our customers are at the center of all that we do,” said Crystal Luce, senior director of public relations. “So with store formats, we seek to provide individualized experiences to each community we serve.”

As with all its locations, a lot of thought, planning and effort went into the original Ramsey Street store, so there was never any doubt that it would be rebuilt. 

The retailer has had a longstanding presence in Fayetteville, Luce said. The area's first store opened in 1998 and today there are 17 locations — with more on the way.

“We are currently in a due-diligence phase for a new location in Fayetteville that would be located off Murchison Road,” Luce said. “We anticipate a final decision later this summer.”

Meanwhile, the rebuilt Ramsey Street store is expected to open this fall.