Dollar General opened its first store in Springfield, Kentucky, in 1955.
The company grew from a business founded by J. L. Turner and his son Cal Turner. Its first store used a simple low-price format focused on everyday merchandise, an approach designed to serve small towns and rural communities as well as suburban shoppers.
Dollar General later became one of the largest discount retailers in the United States, operating stores that typically carry food, household goods, seasonal merchandise, and basic clothing. Its expansion relied heavily on smaller locations rather than the very large stores used by many supercenters.
Dollar General is often confused with Dollar Tree or Family Dollar. Dollar Tree acquired Family Dollar in 2015, but Dollar General is a separate company. The first Dollar General store was also not opened in Tennessee, where the company later established its headquarters; it began in Springfield, Kentucky.