MOUNT VERNON — Bargain hunters, rejoice. Ollie’s, the iconic “good stuff cheap” storefront, known across the Midwest and beyond, is coming to Mount Vernon in April.
The 43-year-old company, originally out of Mechanicsburg, Pa., will open its 48th Ohio location in the former Big Lots building at 1550 Coshocton Ave. in the same plaza as Rural King.
“We’re super excited to be opening there,” said Tom Kuypers, Ollie’s senior vice president of marketing.
“Ohio has been a huge, huge market for us. It’s always great to continue to fill out that area.”
From furniture and rugs to fishing gear, toys and books, Kuypers said the company wants “people to grow up with Ollie’s.”
Kuypers said the construction process varies by store, but the Mount Vernon location will feature new fixtures and signs. Crews will clean it up as needed.
While the marketing VP didn’t know exactly when the company acquired the store and worked out a lease agreement, he said Ollie’s has been acquiring Big Lots locations throughout the last year.
Outside Mount Vernon, Ollie’s plans to open eight other locations in Ohio this year with the eventual goal of 1,300 stores across the U.S. (the company currently has 648 stores total).
The Mount Vernon store will employ about 30 to 50 people when it opens and is currently in the hiring process, Kuypers said.
Ollie’s job fairs took place at the Opportunity Knox Employment Center on Feb. 11 and 12, with two more coming on Feb. 18 and Feb. 19 from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
The importance of community and charity
“We found that when we open up an Ollie’s, we really build a community around that Ollie’s that loves the store, that loves the prices and we like to become part of the community,” Kuypers said.
“We do a lot of work with the Children’s Miracle Network and Toys for Tots and other charities that actually give back into those communities, which is super important to us.”
Kuypers said the company tends to promote from within, as well.
“We’re really looking for people who are not only fun to have for the shoppers, because we want to make sure the customer experience is great, but we’re also trying to give people a real career,” he said.
“We tend to promote from within, and as we’re growing so quickly, it’s important that we grow our store teams.
“Many, many, many people who are leaders in the company, started as part timers and kind of moved up the line to become store managers or district managers or regional managers. So, we love people who are looking to kind of build a career,” he said.