Fresh n' Frugal Comes to Dahlonega

Some say that the male of the D&B duo is a penny-pincher, aka 'frugal,' when he shops. So, you can imagine his excitement when he heard that a frugal-oriented grocery was opening in downtown Dahlonega.

Off we went today to check out the bargains at the grand opening of  Dahlonega's newest grocery store - Fresh n' Frugal.

Oh did Mr. B find the bargains...fresh tomatoes for 28 cents a pound and Campbell's soup for 68 cents a can. "Why the prices here are better here than Walmart," said Mr. B, a true Walmart aficionado, as he loaded granola bars into his cart. Watch out Walmart. You've got some competition in Dahlonega and Beyond!

Fresh n Frugal Lives Up to Its Name

The concept of Fresh n Frugal is to offer products at cost or below plus 10%. The store is able to maintain low prices because of a low advertising budget. Instead of mailing out flyers, Fresh n' Frugal takes  advantage of social media and the web, advertising their specials and weekly ads on  Facebook or on their web site.

The store, itself, is fresh looking, brightly lit and filled with the store's signature green color. Another plus is a staff that is exceptionally polite...smiles seemed to be everywhere....which is a nice-to-see when you're spending money.

The new Dahlonega grocery store is the first Fresh n' Frugal store - not just in Georgia - but anywhere. If the bargain hunting enthusiasm we saw is any indication of success and if the store can maintain its deep discounted prices, then it won't be long before Fresh n' Frugal opens other locations.

Fresh n' Frugal is located at 406 E. Main St., Dahlonega, Ga.

Love Hate Relationship with Walmart

Anti Walmart graffiti outside Dahlonega, Ga.

Walmart. That one word can conjure up considerable emotions. Some people LOVE Walmart. Others HATE the super chain.

For example, take the Walmart graffiti on an abandoned building outside of Dahlonega. An obviously disgruntled Walmart shopper has declared his disdain for the mega super chain, with bright blue anti-Walmart art work urging a store boycott

Initially, D&B were Walmart haters, although we never reverted to graffiti to express our opinions. Both of us are from small towns in Louisiana where Walmart came in and, within, a couple of years, ran the homegrown retailers out of business.

For years, we didn't shop Walmart, going to Kmart at first and then to Target or the major grocery chains instead.

Then, we moved to Dahlonega. Here Walmart is THE place to shop. It's where we go for groceries, pens and  paper, cosmetics, dog food, detergent...and the list goes on. While we may not have converted completely to Walmart Lovers, we do shop there. In fact, now when a family member asks, "Where did you get that," the answer most of the time is "Walmart."

And just in case anyone asks, when it comes to us, the local store has always honored the Walmart policies. But obviously, for one local resident, that hasn't been the case.

How We Protest in Dahlonega and Beyond

In so many parts of the world, when you get angry, you get a few thousand of your closest friends, relatives, and acquaintances together and riot. You burn a few buildings. Turn over a dozen or so cars. Throw heavy rocks at police officers. And, of course, you scream chants incessantly loud over and over  while waving your fists in the air.

Europe protest photo by Louisa Gouliamaki/AFP/Getty

Fortunately, oh so fortunately, that's not how people in Dahlonega and Beyond react when they get mad. Here in North Georgia, we show our anger without taking to the streets, burning and looting

Here are a few examples of how people in our part of the world show their disdain:

1. Earlier this year, residents were angry, very angry, with County Commissioner Tim Bowden's seemingly disregard for voters. So, Commissioner Bowden was voted out of office.
2. A local distraught Walmart shopper, instead of rioting over a perceived misjustice, picked up a paint brush, a couple of cans of paint and painted a huge Don't Shop at Walmart sign on an abandoned building on Hwy. 9.
3. A Lumpkin homeowner, angered by a commissioner's actions (which she and others viewed as lawbreaking), printed up fliers, stood on a street corner and handed out her missives as voters went to the polls.
4. Upset with the response from a Lumpkin County Sheriff's deputy, a member of the Dahlonega Women's Club penned a scathing Letter to the Editor for The Dahlonega Nugget.

While the people in our area may show their dissatisfaction in non-violent ways, don't think we don't value our freedom and will fight for them. Our love of freedom and are country are quite evident to anyone who sees the war memorial on Dahlonega's town square or the graves of war veterans in local cemeteries.

No Air Jordan Shoe Fights in North Georgia

A sight you probably will never see in a North Georgia mountain town is nine thousand people standing in line for a pair of shoes. And definitely no local crowd would storm a store door and fight off others just to buy a pair of sports shoes. (As happened in Atlanta and across the country last week when the new Nike Air Jordans came out.)

In Atlanta, people were shoved, pushed, scraped, hit, and fired upon just for those $180 white leather shoes. (While stores sold out of these shoes within minutes, if you really want a pair, ebay is selling them for $450.)

Why no big Nike shoe rush in Dahlonega and Beyond? Here's just a few reasons we doubt that will never happen here:

1. The 'malls'  we have are more inclined to have Walmart as the anchor store...not a Nike or a Macy's.
2. Walmart isn't known for carrying sports shoes in the $100+ range. 
3. Most counties in North Georgia don't even have 9,000 people living in them.
4. People try to avoid buying white shoes because Georgia red clay makes a horrible mess on the soles.
5. We've got more important things to spend our money on.

Mountain Etiquette

After living in the Georgia mountain area for over a year, D&B has noted there's a distinct etiquette to life here that just doesn't exist in the Atlanta suburbs (or at least in Gwinnett County.)

1. At the Walmart, instead of leaving your buggy in front of your cars, put the buggy in the buggy rack. (Unbelievably, buggies aren't scattered all over the Dahlonega Walmart parking lot.)

2. Don't just drop-in on a neighbor. If their garage door is open or they are out in the yard, then are you are definitely welcomed.

3. Expect your mail delivery person to stop and chat if you are in your yard...and get this, if you have lots of mail, she delivers it to your door.

4. Expect a service person - repairmen, UPS, FedX and yes, even the mail lady - to honk when they drive in your driveway. This way you are alerted that you have company before they ring your doorbell.

5. Wave at people as you drive by. The big surprise is that they wave back!

6. Do stop when a school bus stops. No hurriedly passing a bus...and you're expected to actually stop at a downtown cross walk when townspeople or local college students walk across.

7.  Stop and help If  you see a car stalled or  having car trouble.

One thing we've learned about Mountain Etiquette is that it reminds us so much of how we did things in the small towns we grew up in, and we like it like that!