Dollar Tree is the American dollar-store chain founded in 1986 by Macon Brock and his partners.
In 1986, Macon Brock, Doug Perry, and Ray Compton launched a variety-store business called Only $1.00. Its first five locations were spread across Georgia, Tennessee, and Virginia. The venture grew out of the founders’ earlier experience operating K&K 5&10 and K&K Toys.
The company adopted the Dollar Tree name in the early 1990s and went public on Nasdaq in 1995. Its stores became known for fixed-price merchandise, although the chain later introduced products above one dollar. That change is why the name can be misleading today.
The “over 16,000 stores” figure has generally referred to Dollar Tree Inc.’s combined Dollar Tree and Family Dollar banners during the period when both were owned by the same company. Family Dollar was acquired in 2015 and later sold, so store totals depend on the date and whether the corporate family or the Dollar Tree banner alone is being counted. Dollar General and Family Dollar are common mix-ups, but they are separate chains.