Saratoga Business Journal
By Paul Post
A crowd of well-wishers braved freezing temperatures recently for a ribbon cutting ceremony welcoming Queensbury’s newest retailer to town.
An Ocean State Job Lot store, at Glen Square on Upper Glen Street, is the Rhode Island-based company’s 153rd location in a territory that encompasses all of New England, New York, Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
It’s also the retail chain’s northernmost site in New York, joining three other Capital Region stores in Ballston Spa, Clifton Park and Schenectady.
“This is great!” customer Jim Northrup said. “It’s good to have a place like this instead of people doing all their shopping on Amazon. It contributes to the tax base.”
The 30,000-square-foot space, adjacent to Uncommon Grounds coffee shop, was previously occupied by Big Lots.
Ocean State’s motto is “Brand name merchandise at closeout prices.”
Shoppers find an ever-changing array of merchandise including grocery items, garden tools, outdoor furniture, household goods, pet supplies and seasonal lines from Christmas ornaments to beach wares, at highly competitive pricing.
“Prices here are very reasonable,” said Darleena Ball of Moreau. “I found a suitcase for $40. Gain laundry detergent is $24 over at Hannaford; $15.99 here. So that was a good deal.”
She and her husband also enjoyed free coffee and donuts courtesy of Dunkin, to help celebrate the grand opening.
The new outlet has created jobs for almost 50 people, led by Bill Mapes, who is managing a store for the first time. He’s been with the company for three-and-a-half years, most recently at its Ballston Spa site on Doubleday Avenue (Route 50).
