LA GRANDE — In spite of the cold weather and an overcast sky that threatened to drizzle, a large crowd gathered Sunday, Nov. 19, at the La Grande Town Center for the grand opening of T.J. Maxx.

The first four people in line — Susan Freels, Sophie Bartlett, Gavin Bartlett and Kennedy McKague — waited in eager anticipation for the doors to open. Thee excitement was echoed by the rest of the line, which seemed to stretch on as far as the eye could see.

“It’s been a long time coming,” Sophie Bartlett said. “It’s going to be a huge asset to the area.”

At the start of the line was Freels. It was still dark out when she arrived at 6 a.m. the day of the grand opening. Freels said the two-hour wait was worth it because she is a huge fan of T.J. Maxx.

Whenever she travels to Corvallis or Salem, Freels said, she always stops in at the department store, so she was thrilled to hear T.J. Maxx was coming to Union County. While the La Grande location will now be her most frequented store, Freels added that she still plans to stop in at the other locations while out of town since each T.J. Maxx carries a different mix of items.

Freels was rewarded for being an early bird. Not only was she the first customer through the doors — she also got to cut the ribbon at the grand opening ceremony.

Kennedy McKague was not far behind Freels. She said she is excited for the variety of items T.J. Maxx offers — everything from home goods to clothing. McKague added that the inventory is both trendy and affordable.

“It’s so nice to have a one-stop shop,” she said.

Sophie and Gavin Bartlett also got in line early. While waiting for the doors to open, Sophie Bartlett said she is eager to find name brand products without the name brand price tags.

T.J. Maxx, which has more than 1,200 stores in 49 states and Puerto Rico, is operated by its parent company, TJX Companies. The company also owns chains including Marshalls, HomeGoods and HomeSense.

Earlier this year, construction crews began renovating the La Grande Town Center location, which has been vacant since Bealls closed in May 2020. The department store had temporarily shut its doors earlier that year due to the COVID-19 pandemic and planned to remain closed until the state lifted restrictions.

However, Bealls’ parent company — Houston-based Stage Stores Inc. — ultimately filed for bankruptcy protection after it was unable to climb out of a financial hole that was made worse by the pandemic.

Prior to Bealls moving into the building in 2009 the lot was empty for a number of years after Troutman’s Emporium shut its doors in 2003. The Eugene-based clothing retailer filed for bankruptcy in December 2002 and closed all 34 stores the following year.

Giving back

In celebration of the new La Grande location, T.J. Maxx contributed to the local community by donating $10,000 to Community Connection of Northeast Oregon. Union County Senior Center Manager Rochelle Hamilton accepted the check on behalf of the organization at the ribbon cutting ceremony.

The funds will go toward emergency housing for families with children, according to Hamilton. This includes providing emergency motel vouchers and covering move-in costs. There are around 30 families who will immediately receive assistance with moving into the Timber Ridge complex.

“This serves an immediate need,” Hamilton said.