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There’s a lot of green and yellow in Marco’s new Dollar Tree store.

The newest tenant at the Shops of Marco is awash in color and light. It’s bright and clean with a luster and sheen, a browser’s bliss for people who can happily, if only temporarily, suspend the notion that things seldom are worth more than they cost.

Entering the store, the shopper is overwhelmed by dazzling decorations and accessories for whatever holidays are imminent. Right now that’s Christmas, with a smaller but persistent presence of Halloween fixings.

You can buy sticky plastic eyeballs or a fistful of fake brains for a dollar, perfect for frightening or disgusting one’s little sister, or somebody else’s. A small pirate’s hat and sword might thrill a tot for a time.

You can find enough Christmas decorations at Dollar Tree to make Clark Griswold’s house in National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation look like a Mongolian Gerby comparison.

Pushing past the premature holiday displays (which many stores do these days, from Dollar Tree to Tiffany’s probably) a shopper is awash with impressions and judgments, such as: This store is pleasant and fun, as in, “Can that pack of Hefty zip bags really be only a dollar?” Well, yes, as the familiar box only contains eight bags. It’s not deception, just effective packaging.

Dollar Tree sells many products made in the USA, along side a lot of stuff made in China. That’s no different than many “More than a dollar” stores. Some things really do seem to defy the $1 price, such as stainless steel kitchen utensils, Joy dishwashing liquid, etc.

This store seems cleaner and more user-friendly than the previous dollar store there. And this one doesn’t smell like stuff kept in plastic wrap too long. Party supplies are everywhere, from giant packs of cocktail napkins to cheap but fun Mardi Gras style beads, four strands for a buck. Name brands are stocked amid some lesser-known names. Look, there’s Gatorade, oh and some Good Sense sandwich bags. Good Sense? Never heard of that. But they have plastic Slinkys for a buck that really slink.

Is there a store anywhere else that sells, for a dollar each, a paperback Holy Bible, “King James Version,” and a home pregnancy test? Our Dollar Tree also sells the New Testament on CDs, $1 for each of the 18 volumes.

Islanders who went to Dollar Tree’s opening day were enthusiastic:

“I love it. I miss it from up North.” – Peg White.

“I don’t know why it took so long to get one on Marco.” — Frank Kelly.

“I’m buying stuff I don’t really need because it’s only a dollar.” — Marie Boisvert.

“I’m over the $5 limit my husband set for me. I’ve been waiting for it to open. Now we’ll come here instead of Wal-Mart.” — Pam Brink.

“It’s bigger, nicer than the others. My husband calls me the gadget queen, so I’m right at home here.” — Laurie Curran.

My upbeat Dollar Tree day crashed at checkout when the swipe machine rejected my American Express card.

“Sorry, we only take debit cards and Discover,” she said. “And checks or cash.”

My shock at paying cash was ameliorated when I saw the bill for my four bags of dollar store stuff — $12.72. And that included four sturdy “rocks” glasses for a friend who, having none at his house, made my husband drink his vodka rocks out of a sippy cup last week.

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Chris Curle is a former news anchor for CNN and for ABC TV stations in Atlanta, Houston and Washington, D.C. E-mail: chris@chriscurle.com.