Exhibit 31.1

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

I, Bruce C. Dale, President and
Chief Executive Officer of Duckwall-ALCO Stores, Inc. (the registrant) certify that:

1. I have reviewed the  registrants
 Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended January 29, 2006 (this report);

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;

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;

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:

| | 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;
| | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

| | b.
Designed such internal control over financial  reporting,  or caused such  internal
 control  over  financial  reporting  to be  designed  under  our supervision,  to
provide  reasonable  assurance  regarding  the  reliability  of financial  reporting and
the  preparation  of financial  statements for external purposes in accordance with
generally accepted accounting principles;
| | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

| | c.
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
| | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

| | d.
 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;
| | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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):

| | 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
| | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

| | 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.
| | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

| | By: | /s/ Bruce C. Dale                                                                                                       
| | --- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| |     | Bruce
C. Dale                                                               
      President and Chief
Executive Officer

Date:  April 14, 2006

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