Irma pushes opening of Ollie’s Bargain Outlet to Oct. 4
The opening of the Ollie’s Bargain Outlet store in the Bradenton, which was planned for this week, has been pushed back to 9 a.m. Oct. 4 by Hurricane Irma.
“We pushed back the opening to Oct. 4 because of the weather,” Jerry Altland, Ollie’s vice president of real estate, said in a phone conversation.
In May, Ollie’s started renovating space in a former Sweetbay Supermarket in the Manatee Town Centre shopping center, 5201 33rd St. E., just north of State Road 70.
As Ollie’s continues to prepare the new store, it is also advertising that it is hiring. The anchor space in the shopping center had been empty for more than eight years after Sweetbay closed its doors there.
Our 258 ‘semi-lovely’ stores sell merchandise of all descriptions and some beyond description.
Ollie’s Bargain Outlet
Ollie’s is known not only for its discounted prices but for the humor in its advertising.
“Ollie’s Bargain Outlet is one of America’s largest retailers of closeouts, excess inventory and salvage merchandise. Our 258 ‘semi-lovely’ stores sell merchandise of all descriptions and some beyond description,” according to its web site, ollies.us.
The company sells everything from household items to food.
Founded in Mechanicsburg, Pa., in 1982, Ollie’s has 258 stores. The next two set to open are in Bradenton and Port Charlotte.
Other businesses in Manatee Town Centre welcomed the news that Ollie’s would be anchoring the shopping center.
“After that space being empty for eight years, this will be a big asset for the neighborhood and my store,” Vickie Berends, owner of the Recipe Box, said in May.
James A. Jones Jr.: 941-745-7053, @jajones1
This story was originally published September 19, 2017 at 1:49 PM with the headline "Irma pushes opening of Ollie’s Bargain Outlet to Oct. 4."