On the Edges

Chamber to hold radio auction

The Aurora Chamber of Commerce will hold its annual radio holiday auction 8:30-10 a.m. Nov. 29 and Dec. 1. KSWM, 940 AM, will broadcast the auction of holiday gifts and other items donated by members. Proceeds will fund chamber-sponsored community projects throughout the year.

Sale items may be viewed at the chamber office, 121 E. Olive. For more information, call 678-4150.

Bank of Bolivar building in Fair Grove

The Bank of Bolivar has expanded to Fair Grove and is building a 3,640-square-foot, full-service branch. The building is scheduled to be complete in six months. The architect is Slone Architects and the contractor is Federal Construction Inc., both are from Springfield.

The Bank of Bolivar opened its first branch outside Bolivar Sept. 16 in a modular building on the Fair Grove site at 40 N. Main St., according to President Brad Gregory.

The brick-and-stucco building will feature a partial basement, four drive-through lanes and an ATM. Larry Boyd, who formerly operated a branch of Pleasant Hope Bank in Fair Grove, will manage the Fair Grove Bank of Bolivar.

"We had quite a bit of business there in the form of loans. The primary reason to build a branch is to acquire deposit business as well," Gregory said. "It's a good market there, a growing market."

There are now eight employees at the branch, and the number of employees may increase when the building opens in the spring.

The lobby hours are 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8:30 a.m.-noon Saturday. The drive-through hours are 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m.-noon Saturday.

Construction of the new bank will cost about $364,000. The Bank of Bolivar is locally owned by 48 stockholders. It has $42 million in total assets and $31 million in deposits, according to Gregory.

Dollar General to open store Nov. 18

The new Dollar General Store at 1350 N. Bryan Dr., at the corner of Tracker Road and Highway 160, plans to hold a grand opening Nov. 18, according to Ruby Sims, who will manage the store.

The store will have 10,250 square feet including a 9,000-square-foot showroom. Sims said that size will make it a large store by Dollar General standards.

She now manages the Dollar General Store at 216 S. Glenstone in Springfield and has been with the company for two years.

"Dollar General is a 60-year-old company and is constantly building more stores," Sims said. "Missouri is slated to open 120 new ones in the next few years."

There are now five stores in Springfield, offering major brands, basic foods, health and beauty items, cleaning supplies, paper supplies, gifts, accessories and seasonal items. The new Nixa store will offer longer hours, especially prior to Christmas.

Sims said the existing Nixa store at 421 W. South St. will remain open until several days before the new store has its dry-run opening, which may precede the advertised grand opening Nov. 18.

"I'm really excited about it. The Nixa area really needed a bigger store. It warrants it with the growth of the area," she said.

The store's staff will triple with the new building, to about 18 people. Sims has more than 22 years of retail experience, mostly with Procter & Gamble Co. Nixa store Manager Doug Sparks will replace Sims as manager of the Glenstone store, where Sparks formerly served as assistant manager.

Brian Bingle, Nixa interim city administrator, said that the new Dollar General Store is not inside Nixa's city limits, "so when the building is occupied, that sales tax will not be available to the city."

[[In-content Ad]]