Raglan is set to get another attempt at a $2 format shop with the imminent opening of ‘2 Plus More Dollar Store’ at 39 Bow St (former site of the Postshop and more recently the temporary library). For a couple of weeks the window of the shop has been covered with brown paper- the normal sign in Bow St that a new shop is about to open. During the last week, signs have gone up proclaiming a ‘2 Plus More Dollar Store’. The shop is being opened by Hamilton builder Tony Park and his wife Gloria. They say it will stock the usual range of items found in this type of shop.
There have been two earlier attempts at operating $2 format shops in Raglan. Both attempts appeared to struggle to cover costs before closing. A report in the Raglan Chronicle says that the shops owners saw a gap in the market. Perhaps the reason for the ‘gap’ in the market is that this type low margin shop is not viable in a high rent town. The last one generated some opposition from locals who felt it didn’t fit with Raglan’s environmental image. The new shop appears to be generating the same feelings with Facebook posts already proposing a ban.