Gantt could soon have a new retailer in the form of a Dollar General department store, both corporate and town officials confirmed Monday.

Emily Weiss, Dollar General spokesperson, said the company is currently in its “investigative” portion of the process to determine if the town is a right fit.

“Some of the things we look at is demographic trends, traffic patterns and customer needs,” Weiss said. “Dollar General is committed to increasing its presence to better serve our customers. With that said, we are considering Gantt as a possible location.”

Gantt Mayor Melissa “Missy” Grissett said she’s “excited” about the possibilities the retailer could bring to Gantt.

“The fact that residents wouldn’t have to go all the way into town to pick up a few things, makes me very excited,” Grissett said. “Just thinking about the people at the lake and the convenience factor of having that type of store here – we’re just thrilled.

“Then on the flip side is the sales tax revenue (the store would generate for the town),” she said. “That’s what keeps this town moving – sales tax revenue. We’d love to see more businesses come in.”

Grissett said preliminary discussions place the new store on U.S. Hwy. 29 north on property adjacent to Green’s Bar-B-Que and across from the PowerSouth plant.

If completed, this will be the second business agreement announced between Dollar General and a local municipality in a little more than two months.

In March, the town of Red Level announced it would be getting a Dollar General Store. Weiss said no specific dates have been announced for the construction of the 9,014 square-foot store on Alabama Hwy. 55; however, Red Level Mike Purnell said previously he felt that construction should be completed by late summer or early fall.