Cafe 218 is gone; Dollar General coming to Dysart?

The old Cafe 218 in Vinton opened shortly after the US 218 bypass of Vinton did. For about a decade, it was vacant. As of the week before Labor Day, it’s gone. Stories: Vinton News, Vinton Today.

The land is going to be used for a relocated Dollar General store, the above sources say. Vinton has one, but this will be a bigger area.

In June, city boards in Dysart cleared the way for a Dollar General to be built there, on IA 21 north of Casey’s, reported the North Tama Telegraph.

Supermarket News, an industry publication, reported in March DG wants to open 1,050 new stores this year, after 1,000 in 2020 and 975 in 2019. CNN in May cited a study that says nearly 1 in 3 store openings announced for this year nationwide is a DG, and 45% a DG, Dollar Tree, or Family Dollar.

Dollar General was called a contributor to the closure of the local grocery store in Manson and called a threat to the one in Kingsley by those stores’ owners. Just last month, Story City’s last grocery store shut down, and the owners cited Dollar General there, too.

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