Dollar General Shutters Southside Store
It's the second location to close in Milwaukee within a year, as company plans to close nearly 100 stores across the country.
Dollar General at 627 W. Historic Mitchell St. Photo taken April 2, 2025 by Sophie Bolich.
Dollar General closed a southside store at 627 W. Historic Mitchell St. on April 14, marking the second Milwaukee location the chain has shuttered in less than a year.
A Riverwest store, 1300 E. Locust St., shut down last fall.
The most recent closure follows the company’s fourth quarter earnings report, which revealed plans to close 96 Dollar General stores across the country. But the company still reports havings more than 20,500 stores and opening more than 500 in its most recent fiscal year.
Steep discounts at the southside Dollar General drew crowds and cleared shelves in recent weeks, as the location prepared for its final day. Employees now have the option to transfer to nearby stores, the company confirmed in an email.
Dollar General also touted its “longstanding history in Milwaukee,” with the first store opening at 5121 W. Howard Ave. in 2013.
“At Dollar General, we continually evaluate our stores and how we can best serve our customers,” the email continued. “We remain committed to serving our customers at our four additional locations within the city.”
The company continues with stores at 4130 S. Howell Ave., 5925 N. 76th St., 5929 W. Lisbon Ave. and on Howard Avenue. Dolgencorp, LLC operates each of the remaining locations.
In recent years, Dollar General has drawn frequent criticism from the Milwaukee Common Council, which suspended operations at the Riverwest store in 2023, prior to its closure.
Both neighborhood residents and elected officials have raised concerns about litter, graffiti and noncompliance with operating plans, with license renewal hearings often running well over the allotted time.
Brian Randall, an attorney and registered agent for Dollar General’s Milwaukee stores, has reported continual efforts to improve store conditions, including hiring new employees and holding community meetings.
Its competitor, Dollar Tree, has faced similar challenges, with the council voting last month to suspend operations at its Tippecanoe location. During that meeting, several council members shared qualms with the chain, which operates 12 stores in Milwaukee.
The Historic Mitchell Street building was previously occupied by a Family Dollar. Dollar General applied to take over the space in 2017.
MSDOC I, LLC, registered to John S. Kesselman, is the building owner.
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For those wishing to know the difference between a “closed” store and a “shuttered” store, with a “closed” store you can still look into the store windows. No such luck with a “shuttered” store as someone has put a bunch of shutters on it.