EARLE, Ark. (WREG) – A small Arkansas town is preparing for some major changes as it gets ready to open its first grocery store in years.
Just off the main highway into Earle, Arkansas, construction is ushering in progress. The new Dollar General Market is weeks away from opening.
Earle Mayor Jaylen Smith said the store is set to open in March or April.
“It’s gonna be more jobs, and also, it’ll be addressing the food insecurity problems that we have,” he said.
When Mayor Smith was elected one year ago at just 18 years old, one of his promises was to get Earle moving.
“We are tearing down abandoned houses. So this year, we have one-hundred plus houses on our list that will be torn down this year,” he said. “Because to get something new in your community, you have to get rid of the old. An old door won’t open a new door.”
Now, the new grocery store is bringing it to fruition, giving folks in Earle the option to buy fresh food without traveling 15 or 20 miles to the next town.
“We need one because people get tired of driving all the way to Forest City, Wynn, Marion, and West Memphis, spending money there when you can just come here and spend your money here. It’s closer. Some people don’t got cars. It’s hard to get places,” said resident Leonard Howell.
The grocery store is just the beginning. Mayor Smith said they have great plans for this entire area.
“Earle Industry was a factory. So what we are trying to do with this facility, Earl Industry, is try to make it a job opportunity center for our constituents,” he said.
Earle, with a population of 2,000, could soon see a new gas station, a Sonic and a Subway. Negotiations are underway, and the mayor said that is just the beginning.
“It’s just a start to get us where we are trying to go,” Smith said.
