TERLINGUA — On Monday night, two dozen humans and three dogs gathered in Terlingua to discuss the possibility of organizing against a planned Dollar General location in nearby Study Butte. The gathering was a focus group of sorts, bringing a spirited online discussion into the three-dimensional world among locals from a range of backgrounds.
In July, word spread around town that a survey crew working by the side of FM 170 had been contracted by Dollar General. Rumors flew — and have since been confirmed. A representative wrote to The Big Bend Sentinel that the company was in its “due diligence” phase in scouting for a potential location, though no final decisions would be made until the end of the year.
Dollar stores have long been the subject of controversy in the Big Bend. While some residents enjoy the chain’s convenience, others see the incursion of glowing black-and-yellow signs as a threat to local businesses — and perhaps the death knell of the region’s quirky character.
So far, public backlash has not proven successful. In October 2022, over 100 concerned citizens in Alpine showed up to a city council meeting to protest the sale of land to the chain, which was their fourth location in city limits. The city council was ultimately advised by legal counsel to fold and stop opposition to the store.
Former City Attorney Rod Ponton’s opinion was that the city could not discriminate against certain kinds of businesses who presented legitimate offers. Notably, the City of Alpine does have some restrictions — for example, the city only permits four game rooms to operate within city limits.
At Monday’s informal gathering, Terlinguans raised a number of concerns, including plastic bag disposal, impacts to dark skies and threats to the Cottonwood General Store, the area’s only hometown grocer.
Folks pointed out that Dollar General would be the first major chain to set its sights on Terlingua, apart from the concessionaires that have quietly operated the Big Bend Motor Inn. They worried that it would be the first domino to fall toward the corporatization of an area clinging on to its identity through massive change. “It’ll start with Dollar General and what’s next — f—ing Walmart?” worried Terlingua native Carl Garcia.
Retired park ranger Marcos Paredes freely offered that he was “not a fan of Dollar General,” but that he wanted to focus on potential workarounds, rather than piling on the negative press. He pointed out that the potential store would be built on the site of the old EMS building, and would be well-suited for a number of services that the community lacks. “What do we need more of here — a veterinarian or a Dollar General?” he asked.
Paredes worried that — even if locals boycotted the store — tourists might not know the implications of their quick shopping run. “600,000 people a year come down and visit Big Bend,” he said. “They don’t come here to see a Dollar General, but that doesn’t mean they won’t take advantage of it.”
The group decided to spearhead a series of formal community meetings to discuss next steps, agreeing that the pressure was on. “We’re losing time every day,” said firefighter Tony Drewry.
A major difference between the Alpine and Terlingua battles against the chain is the fact that Alpine is an incorporated city. Terlingua is not — and most of the folks gathered on Monday were adamant that they wanted to preserve the community’s libertarian streak, meaning that any regulatory action will have to come from within Brewster County.
Greg Hammer, owner of the Boathouse Bar and Bungalows, felt that boots-on-the-ground community activism was the way to skirt the thorny question of incorporation. “Would I go into battle with these people right here?” he asked, gesturing toward his friends and neighbors. “Hell yeah I would.”
The first of these meetings will be held this Monday, August 12. Locals who wish to attend can find more information in this week’s edition of the Terlingua Moon at theterlinguamoon.blogspot.com/.