VALDOSTA – A large crowd of shoppers welcomed Ollie’s Bargain Outlet to town last week and the parking has remained packed ever since. 

Valdosta’s newest retailer created as many as 60 new jobs, generating a lot of interest in the community ever since temporary signage was placed outside of the building and renovations began months ago. 

Customers filled the aisles at the store at 1200 St. Augustine Road, a building which previously housed the defunct Toys “R” Us. 

“We are a discount retailer of closeouts and excess inventory,” Josipa Topic, director of marketing, said.

Items offered include food, books, toys, flooring, housewares, pet supplies, bedroom and bathroom products and more – all brand-name merchandise items sold at a maximum 70% discounted rate, the store spokesperson said. 

The Valdosta site joins more than 400 Ollie’s locations.

“We are thrilled to bring ‘good stuff cheap’ merchandise to Valdosta and its surrounding areas,” Topic said. “Visiting Ollie’s is like a treasure hunt – (you) never know what you’ll find but you do know you’ll find real brands at real bargain prices.” A customer loyalty program called Ollie’s Army is also available. 

The Valdosta Ollie’s brought 50-60 jobs to the area and is still hiring store associates, she said. Applications can be submitted by visiting ollies.us/careers, texting “APPLY” to 33097 or by applying in-store.

Hours of operation: 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Sunday.