Rent-A-Center opens mega store in St. Helens

Published 4:00 pm Wednesday, January 31, 2007

Rent-A-Center, the nationwide rent-to-own store with more than 3,500 locations, opened a local store in St. Helens on January 2 – its first venture into Columbia County.

Store manager Shane Maynard said the St. Helens store – located between Safeway and Rite Aid Pharmacy along U.S. 30 – is the largest outlet the company operates.

He said opening a local store was a matter of “convenience” for customers.

“We have a lot of accounts here, but they’ve had to go to Portland or Longview. We’re bringing the store to them.”

The store offers a full range of name brand furniture, appliances, electronics and computers. Maynard said Rent-A-Center caters to all segments – from first-time renters to longtime homeowners.

The company offers instant credit to its customers, he said.

While there are other companies in the rent-to-own business, Maynard said Rent-A-Center stands out because of its “quality of products and service.” “Anything goes wrong with one of items, we provide same-day service,” he said.

The St. Helens store has a staff of six. Store hours are Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. The telephone number is (503) 366-4027.