Despite the struggling economy, one Wiregrass city may soon welcome the expansion of a major business.

Dollar General has shown an interest in building a new store in Abbeville that is larger and offers more products than the current site.

Not all residents are happy about the growth.

Abbeville Mayor Ryan Blalock said, "When the economy takes a downturn, there is always a time when you can expect growth and that is what we are experiencing now."

Abbeville may be one of the few cities to experience retail growth at a time when many businesses have to shut down.

Mayor Blalock added, "The most exciting thing to me of the entire project is that we have an existing business here that is growing and been successful enough that they need to expand. So we are going to try to support them."

Dollar General is looking to relocate its current business from downtown to an area where they can build a larger facility.

Right now, builders are looking at a lot on Kirkland Street, which isn’t sitting well with some residents.

One concern some Abbeville residents have about the Dollar General locating to the suggested site is that it's nestled in the middle of a residential area.

Another concern was that the building didn't keep with the historic look of downtown Abbeville.

However, members of the city planning commission are working to mesh the ideas of the developer and the city so the retailer can go ahead with plans to build.

Mayor Blalock continued, "We have tried to make recommendations to them as to what we would like the building to look like, the landscape and they have been very compromising."

The new Dollar General would be nearly 2000 square feet larger and would offer more products to consumers.

The next step in the process is for the retail builder to approach the city council about a building permit. Dollar General is considering the modified plans for the building right now.