The now vacant former site of Jo-Ann Fabrics at 8748 Mackenzie Road may soon be filled by a new Family Dollar store—much to the dismay of some Patch readers on Facebook.

Painters were out touching up the outside of the building on Tuesday, and confirmed that the owner was planning to open a new Family Dollar in the location, which has been empty since last summer.

Mary Leeper, whose family runs the nearby Dairy Queen at the corner of Mackenzie Road and Gravois Road, said the landlord, Ray White, was still working on getting permits and approval from St. Louis County.

“I think it would be nice, don’t you? It’s a good area for it,” Leeper said. “We need to keep people coming to the area.”

But a number of Patch readers on our Facebook page disagreed, citing the location’s proximity to two other Family Dollar stores, one not far to the east on Gravois and one at Yorkshire Plaza on Watson, as well as a Dollar General at Grasso Plaza west on Gravois.

(Look below for our poll and vote your opinion.)

“Why would we need two? It would be nice to see something go in there but not that,” Sarah Hartwick Hertel said.

“(There) are two in Lemay too. Definitely prefer something else more unique to the area there,” agreed Chris Lane Tipton.

Readers expressed similar frustrations with the new Disabled American Veterans for-profit thrift store moving into the former Weekends Only location nextdoor to the other Family Dollar east on Gravois.

“Personally, I am not looking forward to a thrift store opeining on Gravois either. We have enough thrift type stores in Affton already,” Sue Welch said, getting some likes.

Commenters Lynn Campbell and Nancy Schweiss said they would rather see a Dollar Tree at the Jo-Ann location, but others had more radical dreams for the building—and business on Gravois in general.

“What we really need in the area are more places to eat,” said Samantha Rozanek-Olliges to the approval of several other readers.

“I wish we had a Trader Joe's close by!” added Hertel.

“Better than an empty lot. Although I'd like to see something more ‘upscale’ in Affton,” Andy Kuhnert said. “I wonder if that location is big enough for Hanneke's Hardware?”

Several other commenters echoed his hope that Hanneke, which loses its lease at the end of the month, will find a new location in Affton.

“I agree we do not need thrift stores or Family Dollar or Dollar Tree. We need Hanneke. Rumor had it they hoped to move into the old Weekends Only, but there are thrift store signs. That's a real shame,” Diane Reeve Heckenkamp said. “We need (the) Affton Chamber of Commerce and our County Council to support the Affton stretch of Gravois...year after year and decade after decade little happens to improve it. Let's vote in people who care!”

How do you feel about the possibility of a new Family Dollar opening at the Jo-Ann Fabrics building? Vote in our poll below.