Ollie's Bargain Outlet

Ollie's Bargain Outlet is a chain of retail stores founded in 1982 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania by the late Morton Bernstein. The first store was opened in Mechanicsburg, just outside Harrisburg. The chain now has 108 locations (as of 9/11) throughout Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware, Ohio, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, Kentucky and New York. The president and CEO is Mark Butler.

Ollie's Bargain Outlet deals in surplus merchandise obtained from various retailers, suppliers or manufacturers throughout the country, whether in the form of closeouts, bankruptcy sales or other similar means of buying stock at below wholesale costs.

In the 2006 NASCAR Busch Series, Ollie's sponsored the #43 car of Kertus Davis at Dover. The following year, the company sponsored Jamie McMurray's #37 car in the same Busch Series race held at Dover. In 2008, Ollie's will sponsor the Ollie's Bargain Outlet 360 Challenge with Kasey Kahne, Dave Blaney and Tony Stewart. In 2010 Ollie's will sponsor the #33 Chevy Silverado driven by Ron Hornaday for the Pocono Raceway truck series race. His team, Kevin Harvick Inc., has been sponsored by Ollie's since the beginning of 2010.

Ollie’s Bargain Outlet of stores features its namesake, the late Oliver E. Rosenberg, in the form of humorous caricatures throughout its stores' interiors, merchandising displays, and on its logo and exterior signage. With Ollie’s face down at patrons from nearly every angle of a store’s interior, it could be assumed that Mr. Rosenberg owned the business. Yet, according to a customer service representative in the Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania store, Oliver Rosenberg held the position of VP, but did not principally found the business, nor did he own it. Mr. Rosenberg’s persona lives on, notably in the chain’s signage, but also on a sidewalk memorial to the man who is honored as having benefited his community; Adams-Ricci Community Park in Enola, East Pennsboro Township, Pennsylvania has placed his benevolent smile into a square yard area of decorative masonry at the park playground’s entrance. Born in the early 1920s, Mr. Rosenberg made his home in East Pennsboro Township with his wife and family.

External links

• Official site