T.J. Maxx Opens in Calcutta

CALCUTTA, Ohio – A long line of curious shoppers braved Sunday morning’s bitter cold temperatures for the ribbon cutting ceremony opening the new T. J. Maxx store in the Summit Square Plaza here.

Before the ribbon cutting, store employees took a few moments inside what was formerly the J.C. Penney store to donate a $10,000 check to the local Way Station, accepted by Chris Cianni, Chaney Nezbeth and Mark and Tammy Blackburn.

District Manager Rich Hall spoke briefly to employees, saying he has opened between 30 and 40 stores and that each one has had its own unique challenges in getting started. “And you didn’t let me down. You did an amazing job,” he said.

“One thing you need to remember, you are T.J. Maxx here in the [community]. You’re going to decide what we stand for…so be proud of what you’ve done.”

Store Manager Rebecca Cefalde said the store employs 75, all of whom are “super excited” about the new location.

Jamie Mattos of East Liverpool, the first customer in line, was given the honor of wielding the scissors to cut the ribbon, with store personnel and St. Clair Township Trustees Bob Swickard, Jim Sabatini and Jordan Williams and Fiscal Officer Deb Dawson joining in the ceremony.

Township officials expressed their gratitude for the new business.

“It’s amazing, just beautiful,” Sabatini said. “Deb’s already shopping,” he joked, referring to fiscal officer Dawson joining the cluster of other shoppers converging on displays of clothing, housewares, toys and other items.

“With all the bad economic news you read, when someone opens a store like this, it says something,” Swickard said.

Calling the new store “a great addition to our community,” Williams said it fits in with what trustees foresee for the township’s future.

With most of the employees also living in the area, Swickard pointed out, they will be spending their paychecks in the township.

Shoppers were filling their carts and heading to the checkout counters with a variety of items, with one man pointing out, “Isn’t it nice to have a place to come and buy a birthday present without having to drive to Boardman?”

Previously, the closest T. J. Maxx stores to the Calcutta area were Steubenville, 22 miles away, or Boardman, 25 miles away.

Cefalde and Hall directed questions about the local operation to the TJX Corporation. A message left with the company was not returned.

According to its website, TJX Company opened its first store in 1977 in Massachusetts, and as of January 2022, operated nearly 4,700 stores in nine countries.

The store offers a “rapidly changing assortment of quality, fashionable brand-name and designer merchandise at prices generally 20-60 percent below full-price retailers,” the website states.

The store is located at 16280 Dresden Ave. and is open 9:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.

Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.