Ollie’s is now open at the Columbia East Marketplace at the intersection of US Route 1 and MD Route 175 and judging from the traffic in the store today, it is being well received. It somehow seems appropriate that a store such as Ollies is expanding during a recession. It’s like a dollar store on steroids.Ollies certainly breathes new life into this long troubled retail center. Originally built in 1984 as an outlet mall, the 170,000 square foot retail center struggled over the years to retain tenants. In 1992 it was purchased at a foreclosure auction on the steps of the courthouse in Ellicott City by the owners of the Burlington Coat Factory. They sold the property to the current owners in January of 2005.
