photo by: Popshelf

The exterior of a Popshelf store is shown in this photo from the retailer.

I’m not sure what I thought would outrank a Dollar General — maybe a Dollar Emperor or Darth Dollar, perhaps — but I could have guessed all day and not come up with the answer of Popshelf. But it sure appears that young retail chain aims to be an upscale version of Dollar General.

It also appears that Lawrence will be getting one on south Iowa Street.

As I briefly reported earlier this week, there are signs that Popshelf intends to locate in the Pine Ridge Plaza shopping center at 33rd and Iowa streets in south Lawrence. I’ve confirmed the company has filed at Lawrence City Hall for a building permit to remodel existing space in the center, but I also checked on Thursday and it appears work is not yet underway. The company also has not yet announced that it is expanding into Lawrence.

So, put it in the category of one to keep an eye on. But, what is it we are looking at? Seemingly, a lot of merchandise priced $5 or less. That may cause you to think it is another version of the discount chain Five Below. However, I’m not sure that is quite right.

Five Below seems fairly geared to a younger crowd, where Popshelf seems much more targeted to suburban households. The retailer’s website highlights categories like home, kitchen, home decor, beauty and body, and a category called harvest. (I’m not sure where they are going to park the combines at Pine Ridge Plaza either.)

photo by: Popshelf

An interior of a Popshelf store is shown in this photo from the retailer.

The retailer has been around only since late 2020. But it has a well-established parent company — Dollar General. With Popshelf, Dollar General seems to be going for a different market. Instead of focusing on smaller, rural towns, which is Dollar General’s bread and butter, Popshelf is focusing on suburban markets. In a profile of the retailer, CNBC said the company is targeting households with incomes up to $125,000, which is more than three times the income level of a typical Dollar General household.

That means the stores will look quite a bit different than a Dollar General. The CNBC profile said the stores do carry some foodstuffs, but it probably isn’t the place to go for that $1 bag of knock-off Doritos. Instead, according to the article, Popshelf carries some brands found in upper-end grocery stores. That includes Mrs. Meyer’s hand soap, Amy’s frozen meals, Tillamook cheese, and snack brands including Pocky and Hello Panda. The stores even have somewhat of a gourmet spice section, an offering of unique condiments, and some novelty food items including gourmet chocolates and “Portobello mushroom jerky.” (I believe that product puts the ‘no’ in ‘novelty.’)

photo by: Popshelf

An interior of a Popshelf store is shown in this photo from the retailer.

The idea is that Popshelf is a place to get a treat, but not one that requires a large outlay. Or as the CNBC article says, the stores are targeting that customer who “may need to buy toothpaste and cleaning supplies, but she wants to go a place where she can browse and toss fun items into her basket as well.”

Dollar General had big expansion plans for the chain, but has pulled back on them a bit, according to its latest earnings report issued in June. The company now expects to open 90 Popshelf stores this year, down from the previous plan of 150 new Popshelf stores. The company, though, hasn’t backed away from the brand in general. It previously had hoped to have 1,000 Popshelf stores by the end of 2025. It currently has about 160 stores. The company is now saying it won’t hit that 2025 goal, but hasn’t provided details of a new goal.

Whether that June announcement will end up impacting the timing of the Lawrence store is unknown. I’ll keep an eye on the space for remodeling activity. According to the building permit application, the space in question is the former Men’s Wearhouse location that is in the strip center that also houses Jason’s Deli, GameStop and several other smaller businesses on the edge of Pine Ridge Plaza.

photo by: Popshelf

The interior of a Popshelf store is shown in this photo from the retailer.