BLUE MOUNTAIN – Dirt Cheap’s retail store began operation Thursday morning to a good omen – a long line of people waiting for the store to open for the first time.

Opening remarks at the grand opening were held about 8:45 a.m. They were of necessity brief, due to the crowd of shoppers that poured into the facility when it opened its doors at 9 a.m.

Before the deluge of bargain-hunters, President of Dirt Cheap Operations Ross Roberts welcomed a gathering of local and state officials to the 15,000 square foot store building, which employs about 15 workers.

He said the company has purchased insurance salvage items from flooding in Corinth, Nashville, Tenn., and Warwick, Rhode Island. “There may be a little dirt or mud on some things, but they’re first quality name brand merchandise,’ he said.

The company is a leading purchaser of retail salvage merchandise in the secondary market. The company purchases name brand merchandise from the insurance industry that may be damaged due to fires, tornadoes or other acts of nature. It also purchases end-of-season merchandise and merchandise that is left over following closeouts and bankruptcies.

The outlet store’s items offered for sale Thursday morning include shoes, clothing for men, women and children, indoor and outdoor furniture, tools, lawn and garden items, electronic merchandise, jewelry, cosmetics, household furnishings, and some pharmacy items, among many other things.

The mix changes constantly, however, as on-hand items sell out and new merchandise arrives.

Tippah County Development Foundation Director Duane Bullard welcomed the company to the county, thanking them for coming, and urging them to let him know if there was anything he could do to help.

State Rep. Greg Ward welcomed the company to Tippah, telling company officials, “We appreciate your locating your store here. Tippah County is unique in that we’re a family. You’ll see mayors from other towns here, because we’re all proud of what Blue Mountain has accomplished. Welcome to our family.”

Added State Sen. Bill Stone, “We’re proud to have you. Let us know if we can do anything to help you.”

A representative of Sen. Thad Cochran’s office was also on hand at the gathering, as was a representative from the Mississippi Development Authority.

Blue Mountain Mayor Doug Norton said after the meeting he’s glad to see the retail store and distribution center locate in Blue Mountain, because they’ll help the town economically.

The town’s expanded limits were finalized this week, and the Dirt Cheap outlet and distribution center are within them. That means the town will receive a percentage of the sales tax generated by the facilities.

“With the economy the way it is across the nation, the Board of Aldermen and I feel like the town is fortunate and blessed that we filled the old BenchCraft facility as quickly as we did after that company went out of business,” Mayor Norton said.

That facility now houses the Dirt Cheap retail store, distribution center, and Big M Trucking.

The distribution center began operation in March with about 25 employees who were trained by employees from its Hattiesburg distribution center. The Blue Mountain workers will in turn train other employees to be added as more outlets open.

This distribution facility is extremely important to then company’s plans for further retail expansion in Alabama and Mississippi, and it positions them for even more growth in other markets including Tennessee, company officials have previously said.

The Blue Mountain distribution center will serve outlets in a four hour radius. New outlets are established a minimum of 20 to 30 miles apart within that circle as lease opportunities become available, according to company officials.