On Monday, January 26, Ollie’s Bargain Outlet officially announced they were opening a new location in the former Big Lots store in Milford. The store opening is planned for spring, according to Tom Kuypers, SVP of Marketing and Advertising.
Ollie’s Bargain Outlet opened in 1982 in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, founded by Mort Bernstein, Mark L. Butler, Harry Coverman and Oliver “Ollie” Rosenberg as a closeout and surplus retailer. The company slogan, “good stuff cheap” helped grow Ollie’s from a regional chain to a national retailer.
Bernstein owned a lumberyard called Lawrence Millwork, but the company was struggling financially due to an unfavorable economy. While visiting Boston, Bernstein visited a local surplus chain called Building 19 and decided to create something similar. Rosenberg visited Building 19 and agreed to work with Coverman, Butler and Bernstein, financing the opening of the first store while also giving it the name “Ollie’s.”…