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The seller of discounted clothes and household goods chooses the high-growth areas of Wesley Chapel and Trinity for its first Pasco stores.
By JAMES THORNER, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times, published March 15, 2003
WESLEY CHAPEL -- A concrete block shell rising beside the SuperTarget on Bruce B. Downs Boulevard in Wesley Chapel is the future home of a Marshalls, the retail chain that sells discounted clothes and household goods.
Based in Framingham, Mass., Marshalls plans to open one of its first two Pasco County stores, a 30,000-square-foot building just north of County Line Road, in October.
A second store with a similar October opening is under construction on the southeast corner of Little Road and State Road 54 in the up-and-coming Mitchell Ranch Plaza.
Marshalls has 575 stores in 37 states and Puerto Rico. It serves similar shoppers as T.J. Maxx, Ross, and Bealls Outlets. All sell brand-name clothes and home goods at slashed prices.
"Marshalls is what's called an off-price retailer offering savings of 20-60 percent," company spokeswoman Laura McDowell said.
Marshalls' parent corporation, TJX Cos., also owns T.J. Maxx. Marshalls has bigger stores than its sister chain to handle a larger men's clothing department and shoe section, McDowell said.
The retailer has chosen two Pasco communities -- Wesley Chapel and Trinity -- exploding with thousands of new residents flocking to reasonably priced bedroom communities.
-- James Thorner covers growth and development. He can be reached at (813) 909-4613 or toll-free at 1-800-333-7505, ext. 4613. His e-mail address is thorner@sptimes.com.