Ocean State Job Lot officials have reported strong numbers from the Grand Opening of their new Tewksbury store on Dec. 1.

According to Chief Financial Officer John Conforti, saw approximately 15,000 consumers walk through the doors and processed more than 11,000 transactions.

The Tewksbury store, No. 104 in the Ocean State chain (44^th in Massachusetts), is located in the 40,000 square foot former Purity Supreme space at 553 Main St. The store had a “soft opening on Nov. 23, the day before Thanksgiving, which positioned it to take advantage of the “Black Friday” business on Nov. 25.

Conforti expressed gratitude to Tewksbury officials, whom he said made it an easy process to get the store up and running.  He singled out Community Development Director Steve Sadwick, as being especially helpful.

"If it weren't for Steve and his team we couldn't have moved this project along in such a short time frame,” said Conforti. “They were really impressive and a testimony to Tewksbury's business-friendly attitude."

According to Conforti, the renovation of the Purity Supreme space, which had been vacant for several years, was a $1.5 million project. Conforti said the store will feature a staff of 50 employees, including 20 full-timers.

Ocean State Job Lot was founded in North Kingston, R.I. back in 1977. Over three decades, the company has grown into a half-billion dollar enterprise with stores throughout New England and New York State.