For Miami businessman Carlos Kramer, the difficult economy Albert Lea has been going through looked like an opportunity, rather than an impediment, to start up a business.

The mixture of cheaper rent and tighter consumer spending was ideal for him to start a new dollar store in the Skyline Mall on West Main Street.

&uot;I thought it would be a great chance, especially after the only dollar shop in town at the Northbridge Mall had closed,&uot; Kramer said. &uot;I understand that the people are severe about their budgets. That’s a chance, too.&uot;

The Dollar Store * Discount, opening later this month, will deal in nearly 3,000 different items, from stationery goods and toys to gift items, most of which will have a price tag of a dollar.

Competing with Wal-Mart next door does not worry Kramer. Rather, he thinks the mammoth outlet is an important magnet to attract customers to the mall, and worries what will happen after it moves out to its new location on East Main Street.

Kramer needs to make up for a small per-item profit margin by selling in quantity. Cost savings will also be crucial for the business’s success. The preparation of the store, from assembling the shelves to painting the walls, is all being done by Kramer and his wife Luz.

The couple ran the same business in Miami for the last year-and-a-half. The move to a small community in the north was not only for business, but also for their three kids, Kramer said. &uot;People here are very nice. You have a good school and nice community,&uot; Kramer said.

Kramer, a former computer technician, left his hometown Caracas, Venezuela, two years ago as many of his fellow countymen did, in the middle of a chaotic economy. The oil-producing nation has been experiencing a massive labor strike contesting the arbitrary rule of Lt. Col. Hugo Chavez. &uot;There is no way to seek the quality of life for my family there,&uot; Kramer said.

The store will be open between 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. through 4 p.m. Sunday.