Dollar General: high-quality goods, affordable prices, and a clean environment. As long as you don’t need fresh produce, Dollar General is a one-stop shop for your convenience, and it’s coming to Knoch!
“We are super excited to get started on this project. I think it’s a worthwhile endeavor; we’ve heard how popular the cafe is amongst students,” said Saxonburg Dollar General Manager Jeff Johnson.
The rumors are true: Dollar General has bought out the cafe in the library. The popular convenience store chain recently closed a deal with the school administration for just $500 to install a small store in place of the beloved cafe, providing easy access for students.
“I’m honestly super excited for this! I love the cafe, and having it be an actual store will hopefully make the prices cheaper,” said junior Audrey Fox.
The store will include drinks, snacks, and even some on-the-go necessities for students.
“Obviously, we cannot fit all of our stock in such a small space, so we are aiming to include a rotation of different drinks, snacks, and school supplies for students,” said Mr. Johnson.
Unfortunately, this change will force the school to continue a small amount of construction in the summer.
“I thought they were done with construction, but honestly, it doesn’t surprise me that they aren’t. I’m just mad that I won’t be here to reap the benefits of it,” said senior Hannah Butler.
The construction will include demolition of the current cafe space to replace it with the trademark gray flooring and fluorescent lights most associated with Dollar General.
“It will be a super quick process; we plan to demo the small space, replacing it with a more store-like set-up, including two small aisles and a self-checkout lane. This should be roughly a two-month-long process during the summer,” said Mr. Johnson.
However, this new store will not include the iconic selection of handmade drinks that students have come to love from the cafe.
“I think that it is upsetting to see the drinks go. That’s what so many kids purchase from the cafe, including me. I heard they are going to have bottled drinks, though, so that makes up for it,” said Fox.
One small downside to this plan is that a section of the library’s books will have to be removed to make room for the energy drink section of the store.
“Unfortunately, we have to take out around 15% of the library space to make room for some of our stock. It was highly requested by both students and staff that we include a section of refrigerated energy drinks available for purchase during the day. We firmly believe that it is a worthwhile sacrifice and will be of greater benefit for students,” said Mr. Johnson.
This buyout is just another chain of the Dollar General world takeover that appears to be happening. This will be the second Dollar General within a mile of the school, the fourth within 5 miles, and the 17th chain within 10 miles.
“I swear I pass more Dollar Generals than schools when I’m driving around here,” said Butler.
Dollar General currently has 20,388 stores open in 48 U.S. states. I guess that makes us #20,389.
“This will provide a work-study for students. Students can apply, and if they are hired, they can work during their study halls,” said Mr. Johnson.
As an incentive, rather than paying students, they will be able to work in the store as a substitute for detention hours or to pay off any debts they might have to the school. Missed activity fees, missed vaccinations; any sort of money students owe to the school can be repaid at a rate of the PA minimum wage, $7.25/hour.
“I guess it’s a good opportunity for kids who owe the school or get in trouble a lot,” said Butler.
Whether you are a regular at the cafe or not, make sure to check out the new Dollar General in the library starting in the 2026-2027 school year.
As Mr. Johnson said, “The staff of the Saxonburg D.G. can’t wait to see the smiling faces of students next year!”
