'It was so convenient': Family Dollar store in Conesville closing

COSHOCTON − Family Dollar is closing 35 stores and laying off 265 employees in Ohio this month, including its location in Conesville. The outlet opened in January 2021 at 16160 Township Road 287.

A WARN layoff notice to the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services said that some, if not all, employees were set to be laid off by April 20. When the store in Conesville opened, it was said they would employ seven to 10 sales associates.

Donna Woodie and Melissa Wiggins were just two local residents who said they shopped there often, per posts on the Coshocton Tribune's Facebook page.

"That place is definitely going to be missed by myself and others," Woodie said in her post.

"It was so convenient, just not for me but for many others," Wiggins said in her post.

Mayor Jennifer McFarland agreed the closure will have a significant impact on the village. She said they're lucky to still have the Conesville store, which provides basic essentials such as milk and bread among many other items.

"Without the store, residents no longer have easy access to affordable essentials and everyday items. This can be especially challenging for those who rely on the store for their shopping needs, particularly individuals with limited transportation options," she said. "I think myself and a lot of others would agree it was just a huge convenience for everyday items we needed. We’re all sad to see it go, but remain hopeful that something else will come in and bring that convenience back."

In surrounding counties, the Family Dollar in Cumberland in Guernsey County is closing as well. It had previously been announced that about 600 Family Dollar stores will close in 2024 across the nation after parent company Dollar Tree announced it experienced a significant underperformance in 2023.

Over the next several years, the discount chain will also shut down 370 Family Dollar and 30 Dollar Tree stores at later dates across the country when each store’s current lease ends, a company press release earlier this month said.

Family Dollar has more than 450 Ohio stores, according to data scraping sites like ScrapeHero and Smartscrapers. It's number three in the nation behind Florida with about 570 and Texas with more than 1,100.

Remaining Family Dollar outlets in Coshocton County are in Coshocton and Walhonding, outside New Castle.

Leonard Hayhurst is a community content coordinator and general news reporter for the Coshocton Tribune with more than 15 years of local journalism experience and multiple awards from the Ohio Associated Press. He can be reached at 740-295-3417 or llhayhur@coshoctontribune.com. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @llhayhurst.

This article originally appeared on Coshocton Tribune: Family Dollar in Conesville closing