Norwich — in December, Marteen and Sabreen Hanania of Ledyard opened a discount variety store called USA Dollar Plus in the building Marteen Hanania owns at 680 Boswell Ave. for a change of pace from his flooring career.

He renovated the storefront and stocked it with everything from grocery items to health and beauty aids, household goods, party supplies and balloons and rugs of varying sizes.

Behind the counter, the couple sells cigarettes and lottery tickets.

Marteen Hanania wore a shocked look on his face Thursday when informed that not only did one developer recently obtain permits to build a Family Dollar Store less than a mile down the road, but on Tuesday, a second developer applied for city permits to convert the former Seafood Etc. at 646 Boswell Ave. into a Dollar General store.

It literally will be next door to his building.

“I'm going to be bullied on both sides,” Marteen Hanania said. “It's going to hurt us big time, because we invested a lot of money into this place. It's family owned and operated.”

Hanania said he's trying to be a neighborhood general store and often takes suggestions from customers on what they would like to see on his neatly arranged shelves and wall hooks.

On many items, he said, he could compete with both Family Dollar and Dollar General — neither is a straight dollar store — but worries that those stores' ability to buy in huge bulk to stock their locations nationwide would undercut some of his prices.

Still, USA Dollar Plus offers small rugs for $1, balloons for $1.25, sunglasses and reading glasses at two for $4.99 and many items for $1.

“We just need the help from the people to buy into it and support us,” Hanania said. “Once you buy in, I can add products.”

In April, Northeast Retail Leasing and Management Co. received approval to build a Family Dollar store as part of a larger retail plan at 27, 51 and 59 Norwich Ave. after receiving approval to rezone part of the property for commercial development.

Seafood Etc.'s longtime owners announced in March their plans to scale back their business and close the popular Norwich take-out and seafood market.

At the same time, Trumbull developer Sound Norwich LLC proposed a zone change and plans to demolish the existing building for a new retail plan unidentified at the time.

On Tuesday, the company submitted plans for a 9,334-square-foot Dollar General store on the property.

The Commission on the City Plan will hold a public hearing July 19 on the proposal, which needs a special permit because the property is located within a floodway.

c.bessette@theday.com