(photos, audio – courtesy Kendell Kubasch / KRWC Radio)
The City of Howard Lake saw the opening of a new retail store and food market on Monday. The new DG Market opened off west Highway 12 after construction began in the late summer of 2025.
Officials with the City of Howard Lake said that conversations with the developer began in 2022, initially seeking approval for a standard Dollar General store. Discussions shifted to the larger DG Market after the closure of Howard Lake Foods in the city’s downtown. The necessary steps for rezoning and a site plan were passed by the city’s Planning Commission and City Council in mid-May.
Harmony Gohmann is the new DG Market’s Manager…
“So I’ve been working with Dollar General for a year. I started at the lowest you can start as a sales associate, and within a month I became Assistant Manager. I worked at the Dassel market for about 9 months, and then they asked me if I wanted my own store as a manager. I declined at first, but when they said I’d get a brand new store I figured, why not? Let’s do it.”
Harmony says there are similarities with the new Howard Lake store and existing Dollar General locations in that they carry the usual variety of household goods. The difference comes with the addition of numerous fresh food items…
“So a DG Market has produce and meat. So we sell bananas, onions, tomatoes, and we also sell burger, steak, pork chops.”
Gohmann says she expects the store will do a brisk business in Howard Lake by filling several needs in a convenient location…
“I do think we’ll get quite a bit of business here, just because they have gone so long without a grocery store. We offer so many different things, it’s not just grocery, it’s also crafts that your kid may have forgot they have a project and now it’s Sunday and you need to get all the stuff, they can come here and we’ll have it.
The new 10-thousand square foot store will be open 8 AM to 10 PM, 7 days a week, and hopes to eventually employ up to 9 workers.
A Grand Opening is expected to be announced for sometime in early to mid-April.
