“J.L. Turner, a functionally illiterate Tennessee farmer who left school in the fourth grade after his father’s death, was widely respected for his work ethic and practical business sense”

Scottsville, Kentucky, holds a unique place in American retail history as the birthplace of Dollar General. Long before the company became one of the nation’s largest discount retailers, its roots were firmly planted in this small Allen County community through the vision and perseverance of the Turner family.

The story begins in 1939, when James Luther J.L. Turner and his son Cal Turner Sr. founded the J.L. Turner and Son Wholesale Company in Scottsville. The business operated out of a warehouse that served dry goods retailers who had survived the Great Depression. J.L. Turner, a functionally illiterate Tennessee farmer who left school in the fourth grade after his father’s death, was widely respected for his work ethic and practical business sense. He believed in learning from others and applied proven ideas with discipline and consistency rather than chasing innovation for its own sake.

Cal Turner Sr. complemented his father’s grounded approach with a bold sense of buying and a strong commitment to honest partnerships. Together, the two invested five thousand dollars each to purchase a warehouse building at half price in 1939. That building would later become the foundation of one of the most successful retail companies in American history.

The company’s retail beginnings took shape as Turner’s Department Store in Scottsville. In 1955, the Turners transitioned the department store concept into what would become Dollar General. While the first official Dollar General retail store opened in Springfield, Kentucky, that same year, the foundational operations, business philosophy, and early retail concepts were developed in Scottsville.

Nearly seventy years later, the City of Scottsville was officially designated the Birthplace of Dollar General. According to a proposed bill recognizing the designation, Dollar General Corporation was born, raised, and cared for in Scottsville and would not have grown into its present success without the dedication of the Turner family and the support of the residents of Scottsville and Allen County.

Today, Dollar General operates in forty seven states and has a store within five miles of seventy five percent of the United States population. Despite its national reach, the company’s ties to Scottsville remain strong, particularly through the Turner family’s continued commitment to the community.

That commitment is reflected in the Laura Goad Turner Foundation, named in honor of Cal Turner Sr.’s wife. Since 1989, the foundation has gifted grants to seventy seven organizations, endowed scholarships at Western Kentucky University for thousands of first generation college students, and returned more than thirty four million dollars to the community.

The third generation of Turners, Cal Turner Jr. and Steve Turner, expanded on the values established by their father and grandfather by placing an even greater emphasis on employees and customer service. Their leadership helped broaden the company’s base while staying true to the principles that began in a Scottsville warehouse in 1939.

Address: 111 W Main St, Scottsville, KY 42164