By ANDY GARDNER

MASSENA -- Ollie’s Bargain Outlet is looking at opening adjacent to the St. Lawrence Centre toward the end of October, according to Jerry Altland, the store’s vice president of real estate.

He says they will be housed in the former Office Max.

The store buys name-brand products and re-sells them at a discount, Altland said.

“We focus on name brands … that’s what everybody wants and that’s what we try to do,” he said.

The store has about 20 departments, including books, housewares, domestic products, hardware and non-perishable foods.

According to the store’s website, their tactics include buying up overstock wares and what they call “salvage merchandise.”

"If a store in your neighborhood has a flood or fire, Ollie’s may purchase the undamaged inventory and put it in our stores at drastically reduced prices. Yes, it might smell a little smoky, but it’ll be so cheap that you won’t mind,” the website says.

They will hire 45 to 55 employees in a mix of full- and part-time posts, Altland said.

He said they chose Massena because “it basically mirrors our Niagara Falls store.”

“Massena is a drive straight from Watertown for us, it has the population we look for and has a lot of folks coming from the Canadian side,” Altland said, adding that Ollie’s operates a store in Watertown, along with 14 others in New York.

For more information about the store, go to http://www.ollies.us.