Timing is everything, and for Kelly Ray, the timing of the grand opening of the new Wal-Mart in Cleveland was just right.

"I’m so excited that they opened up one here. Now we don’t have to drive to Dahlonega or Cornelia," said Ray, a Cleveland resident.

"We bought a few clothes, some school supplies and a few groceries — one-stop shopping."

Ray was shopping at the store’s grand opening Wednesday with daughters
Samanatha Ray, 14, and Heather Ray, 8.

After reviewing her receipt, Ray says the savings she found at the store were "fabulous."

"Oh my goodness, the savings. Usually we buy our groceries at (another chain retailer) and pay around $5 for a gallon of milk, so to come here and pay less than $2 was great," she said.

Despite hundreds of curious residents turning out to view the new store on Thursday, there are some who remain less than enthusiastic about the store’s presence.

"The track record for Wal-Mart is that they come in and destroy small communities," said Hugh Sauder, a White County resident for the past five years. "Once their business model ends, they pull up and leave a big dinosaur of a building behind that can’t be rented, used or have anything else done with it. That’s a track record they’ve had for some time.

"I relocated here from Snellville where there’s an (empty Wal-Mart building). It’s a complete dinosaur, an eyesore, and it’s sitting there completely unused."

The new Wal-Mart is a first for the rural community, but one of 20 other stores within a 60-mile radius of the town of about 25,000 residents. Besides bringing 300 new jobs to the area, it represents one of a few chain stores amid a sea of locally owned businesses.

But not all competing business owners feel threatened by it.

"On the business side, I feel like having a Wal-Mart right across the street from my business could help bring in more customers for us," said Deena Wood, who co-owns Appliance and Mattress Center with husband James Wood.

Wood says the new traffic signal that was installed on Cleveland Highway near the entrance to the new superstore has helped to slow traffic and bring in customers who ordinarily speed by her business, which has been at its current location on Hope Drive for 14 years.

"It’s a double-edged sword," Wood said. "As a business owner I like having Wal-Mart here, but as a resident I don’t like the idea of big-businesses coming in and we lose that small town feel. My family moved here because of the small community feel — we thought it was a better environment for our children — and I don’t want Cleveland to lose that feeling."

Editor's note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly reported the radius where 20 other stores are located.