|Exhibit 31.1
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|CERTIFICATION PURSUANT TO  RULE
13A-14 OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934,  AS ADOPTED PURSUANT TO  SECTION 302 OF
THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002
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|I, Glen L. Shank,
Chief Executive Officer of Duckwall-ALCO Stores, Inc. (the registrant)
certify that:
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|1. I have reviewed
the registrants Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year  ended February 1, 2004 (this
report);
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|2. Based on my
knowledge, this report  does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit
to state a  material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the
circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect  to the
period covered by this report;
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|3. Based on my
knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial  information included in this
report, fairly present in all material respects the  financial condition, results of
operations and cash flows of the registrant as  of, and for, the periods presented in
this report;
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|4. The
registrants other certifying officers and I are responsible for  establishing and
maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in  Exchange Act Rules
13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) for the registrant and have:
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|a. Designed such
disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such  disclosure controls and procedures to
be designed under our supervision, to  ensure that material information relating to the
registrant, including its  consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others
within those entities,  particularly during the period in which this report is being
prepared;
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|b. Evaluated the
effectiveness of the registrants disclosure controls  and procedures and presented in
this report our conclusions about the  effectiveness of the disclosure controls and
procedures, as of the end of the  period covered by this report based on such evaluation;
and
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|c. Disclosed in
this report any change in the registrants internal  control over financial reporting
that occurred during the registrants most  recent fiscal quarter (the registrants
fourth fiscal quarter in the case of an  annual report) that has materially affected, or
is reasonably likely to  materially affect, the registrants internal control over
financial reporting;
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|5. The
registrants other certifying officer(s) and I have disclosed, based  on our most recent
evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to  the registrants auditors
and the audit committee of the registrants board of  directors (or persons performing
the equivalent functions):
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|a. All significant
deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design  or operation of internal control over
financial reporting which are reasonably  likely to adversely affect the registrants
ability to record, process,  summarize and report financial information; and
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|b. Any fraud,
whether or not material, that involves management or  other employees who have a
significant role in the registrants internal control  over financial reporting.
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| |  | By: | /s/ Glen L. Shank 
      Glen L. Shank 
      Chairman of the Board and President
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|Date:  April 30, 2004
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