Dollar General opens Mimbres store, fourth Grant County location, locals praise convenience

Dollar General opened a new store on March 1, 2026, at 2700 N.M. 35 in Mimbres, roughly one mile north of the intersection with N.M. 152. The Mimbres location is the retailer's fourth in Grant County, joining stores in Silver City, Santa Clara and Hurley.

Local residents had been tracking the project for months and welcomed the closer option for essentials after previously driving long distances. Community chatter and social posts noted that families often traveled 45 minutes or more to reach a discount retailer; the new Mimbres store reduces that travel burden and fills a gap cited by neighbors in online discussions about the planned opening.

The store is open seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., and area job seekers are directed to the company’s careers portal to apply. Local reporting on the opening said the building had been ready while it awaited inspections, a timeline similar to the Hurley location that opened in October 2024 after a wait for necessary approvals.

Dollar General's expansion in Mimbres comes as part of a broader growth plan: the company is targeting more than 450 new U.S. store openings in 2026 and has said it maintained a heavy cadence of openings in recent years, adding roughly 600 stores in fiscal 2025 and opening more than 500 stores so far in fiscal 2026 with one quarter remaining. The chain operates in excess of 20,000 locations nationwide and traces its roots to J.L. Turner and Cal Turner Sr., who invested $5,000 to start a business in 1939 and opened the first store under the Dollar General name in Springfield, Kentucky, in 1955.

On the company’s third-quarter 2025 earnings call, CEO Todd Vasos said the chain has identified "approximately 11,000 opportunities for Dollar General stores in the U.S." He also emphasized a measured approach to growth: "we don’t feel compelled to have to rush to open a lot of stores. So we believe that the right mix right now...right mix of remodel and new we believe is the right thing." The company told investors it plans roughly 450 new U.S. stores in 2026, about 10 new stores in Mexico, about 20 relocations and roughly 4,250 store remodels as it balances new openings with renovation work.

That balance includes portfolio changes made in prior quarters: the company announced plans to close 96 stores during the first quarter of fiscal 2025 following a store portfolio optimization review. A company media representative has described other rural openings as reflecting "the company’s aim to solidify its presence in rural America by strengthening its foundation and expanding its essential store offerings," a strategic framing that aligns with the Mimbres addition even though the Mimbres store’s interior layout and square footage were not specified in local reporting.

The Mimbres opening gives Grant County residents closer access to discount retail and represents a local instance of Dollar General’s nationwide push to extend its footprint into rural communities while simultaneously pursuing extensive remodels and portfolio adjustments.