Howdy folks, and welcome back to Houston Historic Retail. Today, we’re visiting the Ollie’s in the former Babie’s ‘R Us at across from Baybrook Mall. The last time we saw the inside of this store, it was the short-lived Dick’s Warehouse Sale. Ollie’s Bargain Outlet has since remodeled the building, removing most remaining traces of BRU, except for the flooring. They have also embiggened the floor space, adding room for mattresses and box springs. This location is the second Ollie’s to open in the immediate Houston area, so far, my favorite one. I, unfortunately, have to admit that I was left a little disappointed by the Jones Road Ollie’s. I felt the store was too small and lacked the weird variety you’d typically find at Ollie’s. My prayers seem to have been answered with this mega-sized Friendswood location. Not only do they carry the “staple Ollie selections,” you get the weird stuff too, and yeah, it’s cheap!
The facade at this store was updated, with the Babies ‘R Us blocks removed
The original BRU vestibule is still in use, and even has a toy crane!
Straight upon entering Ollie’s, you’re right in front of the food
Food is something I would NOT recommend experimenting with her, stick to brands you know
The old flooring does not influence how the new store is laid out at all
The front end contains small electronics, and books!
Ollie’s Book section is far larger than Walmart or Target
The store features lures, reels and yes
Even rods! This is more like a normal Ollie’s than the Jones Road location
You do see full shelves of the same items, but when the store is this big you get a good variety
You’ll find lots of store brands here from different companies, like Office Depot
Rite Aid erasers
Walmart Home Decor
Crafstman pants… wait what?
A remanufactured Singer Sewing machine!
Yankee Candles
Flags, and Bob Marley wall art
The store even has a toy section!
One thing this location is heavy on is hardware, while Jones Road does not have nearly as much
A “selection” of ceiling fans
Appliances including displays, what a treat!
Lamps, and shades, it’s all here for the picking, mattresses and box springs too, but I didn’t get a photo
This was a bit annoying, the restrooms are barricaded off
This is a big store!
Big enough to sell room size rugs
A greeting card aisle, another missing feature from the Jones Road Ollies
Wondering why the Walmart Christmas Candy disappeared Dec 26th? Ollie’s bought it for impulse buys at the register!
At the moment, we have three Ollie’s locations in town, the aforementioned Jones Road, Baybrook of course, and one in Katy, which I have yet to visit. If you’re near an Ollie’s, even the Jones Road one, I’d recommend stopping in to check it out. They have some good deals and some weird stuff!
I didn’t realize that the Jones Road Ollie’s is a subpar location for the chain. I was kind of wondering what all the hype was all about. I thought that maybe Ollie’s was having trouble maintaining bargain closeouts as they grew in size. It seems that isn’t entirely true, but perhaps Ollie’s needs some big stores and some smaller stores to keep the aisles full. I am not sure.
The Black & Decker paint is surely a sign that Ollie’s is keeping up the closeout store tradition of having known brand names on most unexpected items, lol.
Yeah, the Jones Road location, seemed fine at first, but after visiting the Baybrook one, the flaws (mainly lack of size) becomes apparent. That being said, the few times I’ve been back to Jones Road, they are good at rotating out the merchandise. I wonder where you’d even find Black & Decker paint other than Ollie’s, lol.
I absolutely love this store. I’ve been there about three times already since opening. I thank you for getting my interest about it in the first place. Those Yankee candles are a good deal, ($8 for a $30 candle.) and I got a sick Woodstock wall art behind the Bob Marley one.
I’m happy, and somewhat impressed that I influenced someone’s shopping trip! Ollie’s really does have some great deals, but you never know quite what you’re going to find.
I didn’t realize that the Jones Road Ollie’s is a subpar location for the chain. I was kind of wondering what all the hype was all about. I thought that maybe Ollie’s was having trouble maintaining bargain closeouts as they grew in size. It seems that isn’t entirely true, but perhaps Ollie’s needs some big stores and some smaller stores to keep the aisles full. I am not sure.
The Black & Decker paint is surely a sign that Ollie’s is keeping up the closeout store tradition of having known brand names on most unexpected items, lol.
Yeah, the Jones Road location, seemed fine at first, but after visiting the Baybrook one, the flaws (mainly lack of size) becomes apparent. That being said, the few times I’ve been back to Jones Road, they are good at rotating out the merchandise. I wonder where you’d even find Black & Decker paint other than Ollie’s, lol.
I absolutely love this store. I’ve been there about three times already since opening. I thank you for getting my interest about it in the first place. Those Yankee candles are a good deal, ($8 for a $30 candle.) and I got a sick Woodstock wall art behind the Bob Marley one.
I’m happy, and somewhat impressed that I influenced someone’s shopping trip! Ollie’s really does have some great deals, but you never know quite what you’re going to find.