Ollie's outlet ready for Toms River opening

David P. Willis | Asbury Park Press

Show Caption Hide Caption Signs of A&P and Pathmark have disappeared Shopping center developers are filling up former A&P and Pathmark stores with new tenants.

TOMS RIVER - Ollie's Bargain Outlet, a store that promises "Good Stuff Cheap," opens its first store at the Jersey Shore on Wednesday.

Ollie's Bargain Outlet opens at 9 a.m. with a ribbon-cutting at Indian Head Plaza on Indian Head Road at Route 9. The company is leasing the former Pathmark store.

The store is filling about 30,000 square feet in the shopping center, part of a renaissance at Indian Head, which a year ago could have been described as a ghost town. Ollie's has moved in, Dollar Tree is getting a store ready and Hobby Town is touting its grand opening. Other businesses have signed on, including See the Rim Academy which opened in December.

Check out the video at the top of this story to see what has become of other A&P and Pathmark locations.

JJ Operating Real Estate Investments purchased Indian Head Plaza from a bank out of foreclosure. At the time, the center was only 20 percent filled. The Home Depot store was not a part of the deal.

The store is Ollie's first in Monmouth and Ocean counties. The company has 282 stores nationwide, including locations in Egg Harbor Township, Hamilton, Cherry Hill, Bridgeton and Deptford.

More: Pathmark gone, but Toms River's Indian Head Plaza has multiple new stores

More: Toms River welcomes new farmers market

Ollie's Bargain Outlet assembles its selection of brand-name goods from closeouts, overstocks, irregulars, excess inventory and salvage merchandise. It calls its stores "semi-lovely" and says its merchandise comes direct from manufacturers.

"We buy everywhere we possibly can," said Jerry Altland, vice president of real estate at Ollie's.

According to its website, Ollie's also has liquidated major retail centers. "Ollie's brings the goods back to our stores and passes the savings to you, the customer," the company said on its website.

The company said it offers items at prices of 30 to 70 percent off "fancy stores." Its 22 departments sell everything from housewares, food, flooring and toys to electronics, clothing, health and beauty supplies and sporting goods.

"You never know what you are going to find at an Ollie's. If you don't buy it, you may not see it again," Altland said. "It's almost like you snooze, you lose. We are like a treasure hunt."

Have you seen a construction project in Monmouth or Ocean counties and wanted to know what was going there? Contact business writer David P. Willis dwillis@gannettnj.com, and we will look into it for a future column. Meanwhile, join the What's Going There group on Facebook and stay in touch with the latest developments.