The newest addition to the Sister Lakes business community is now open for business.

The new Dollar General, located at 67633 M-152, hosted its official grand opening Saturday, showing off the new location to customers for the first time.

The company provided several perks for people coming to check out the variety store throughout the day, offering free gift cards and goodie bags to the first couple hundred visitors as well as serving hotdogs around lunch time and giving out free food samples that evening.

The grand opening was a tremendous success, with a large number of customers visiting the store throughout the day, said Assistant Manager Derek Bowen. Business since Saturday has remained steady, he added.

The national chain of value markets started construction on the new store in April, finishing work earlier this month. According to the company, the lakeside community was selected as site for a new store for several reasons, including demographic trends, competitive factors, traffic patterns and community concerns.

“We feel this new location will make a good fit for us, and the area,” said Crystal Ghassemi, a spokesperson with the company.

The Sister Lakes location is the 10th such store located in Van Buren County, Ghassemi said. The opening is part of the corporation’s effort to open 900 new stores throughout the country, she said.

“We look forward to welcoming the community to the store, and offering them value and convenience,” Ghassemi said. “We hope to be a longstanding part of the community.”