It was an exciting time for customers looking to welcome a new discount retailer to Hinesville.

Ollie’s Bargain Outlet held its grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony Wednesday morning, and the line to get in extended the entire span of the shopping center on Gen. Screven Way.

“I love Ollie’s,” customer Donna Rowan said.

Rowan was the first person in line for the opening, arriving at 6:30 a.m. to beat the crowds.

“I’ve been to the one in Erie, Pennsylvania,” she said. “This is good for Hinesville. I love it.”

Rowan has lived in Hinesville for the last 22 years and said she has seen her fair share of stores come and go. She said she hope Ollie’s is here to stay because of the great bargains it offers. She said the store always offers a variety of merchandise.

“And if you’re a member, they offer you additional discounts all the time,” she added with excitement. “They have a family night and a family friends’ night. At Christmastime, they have a night where only card holders can come in, and they always have a great prices.”

“It’s Ollie’s Army and it’s a rewards program,” Ollie’s District Team Leader Jon Pund explained. “Customers receive one point for every dollar they spend, and when they spend a certain amount, they get a 15-percent-off coupon. Also, throughout the year, we have special events that are exclusive to the card holders, and they will get additional discounts on those Ollie’s Army nights. Our merchandise is already at great bargains, and being in Ollie’s Army gives them an even lower price.”

Pund said this is the first Ollie’s to open in Hinesville. He added there is another Ollie’s in Waycross, making the two stores the two southernmost Ollie’s locations in the state.

“It’s just a great growth story,” Pund said. “This is our 12th store overall in the state of Georgia, and we’ve opened 12 stores in about a year. Georgia has very much embraced us as a company. We sell good stuff cheap, and we love to pass that bargain on to our customers.”

Pund said Ollie’s plans to expand into Florida soon.

Hundreds filed into the new store, which offers a variety of items, including electronics, pet foods, home furnishings, children’s toys and books, at what Ollie’s calls “bargain basement prices.”

Hinesville store manager Jacqueline Wallace said she is excited to be a part of the organization.

“This is a great opportunity for the community and military and military wives,” she said.

She acknowledged that she didn’t know much about the Ollie’s brand until she heard the company was getting ready to open the store in Hinesville.

She said she did some research and found it offers great incentives for employees as well as discounts for customers.

“I was really impressed with their employee retention, and they are a solid company,” Wallace said. “They are still growing by leaps and bounds, and I wanted to be a part of that.”

Ollie’s is open in the old Food Lion location on Gen. Screven Way from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday.