“Big Al” Cohen will expand his well-known retail outlet in Wiscasset to the Maine Mall area, the state’s most competitive shopping district.

Cohen – who has operated Big Al’s Super Values for 18 years – is poised to bring his vision of retail shopping to South Portland, offering excess inventory and odd lots from catalog companies and other sources.

The second Big Al’s Super Values will open Sept. 1 in the Mall Plaza on Gorham Road, next to Petco and Dick’s Sporting Goods.

Big Al’s is similar to a five-and-dime, with a flea-market attitude about moving stuff cheaply. The high-volume store specializes in non-essential knick knacks that shoppers may not know they need and are not likely to find anywhere else.

“Mainers are value conscious,” said Cohen, a transplant from Brooklyn, N.Y. “They want value for their money.”

The original Big Al’s Super Values on Route 1 has developed a dedicated following in the mid-coast over the years, drawing bargain hunters, tourists and the curious.

“I carry different merchandise than what you find in a typical dollar store,” said Cohen.

Who can pass up a metal arm extender that grabs items from shelves no human can reach? How about plastic swan planters? Or spray-on panty hose protector that keeps nylons from running?

Signs posted in the store state: “If you like it, buy it now. We may never have it again.”

On a recent weekday, the Wiscasset warehouse store offered giant clothes line clips, plastic doll body parts, rope by the pound and decorative cow covers for computer monitors.

There is an entire aisle stocked with candles, from frothy-looking pink creations in tall dessert glasses to the more prosaic votive candles with floral scents.

Cindy Jones, a clerk who has worked at Big Al’s for four years, said the most unusual item she ever sold was a plastic bag dryer.

Big Al’s seems to appeal to the thrifty Yankee in a lot of Mainers. He offers gumball machine prices for household items that aren’t made to last forever. But no one expects a warranty for an item that sells for 88 cents.

Cohen said it took two years to secure a location near the mall, because landlords told him they wanted a national chain store as a tenant, not an independent.

Now he is eager to pitch his products in the South Portland retail hub. But are southern Maine shoppers ready for Big Al’s?

The South Portland store looks cavernous, but is half the size of the Wiscasset shop, Cohen said. He promises only to stock the most select items from his warehouses, but keep prices just as cheap.

“Let’s face it, we are in a depressed economy,” Cohen said by cell phone as he drove from Wiscasset to prep his South Portland store for its grand opening.

“People are looking for more bargains because they have less money,” Cohen said. “They still focus on shopping, and I want to be where the busiest shopping area is.”

The South Portland Big Al’s will be similar to the Wiscasset shop, with items displayed on long tables that form aisles running the length of the store.

Most of the items are overstocks from a dozen or so catalog companies. He predicted that veteran catalog shoppers will recognize many products right away. Cohen said he is able to keep prices so low because he has good relations with companies and is willing to travel for a deal.

He regularly goes to Asia to get the cheapest prices for his made-in-China coffee mugs and souvenirs of Maine featuring pictures of lobster.

“Why should I buy local if it costs more?” Cohen asks.

Big Al’s ever-rotating inventory also includes basics like office supplies, greeting cards, T-shirts and plastic dishware. Most everything is under $5. A lot of stuff costs less than a dollar. And the hot coffee for customers is free.

“Every week, shoppers in my Wiscasset store see different things. I can set my watch to the schedule of some of my regular customers. They come at the same time and day every week,” Cohen said.

Dennis and Linda Connelly, who live in the Lewiston-Auburn area, recently stopped at Big Al’s in Wiscasset. The couple said they enjoy the mystery of shopping at Big Al’s.

“You never know what they will have,” said Dennis Connelly, holding a packet of tiny plastic pouring spouts for under $1.

Dennis figured he could use the spouts on empty milk jugs to make watering cans. Linda predicted that Big Al’s in South Portland will be a big success.

“Big Al’s will bring in a totally different clientele than what you find at the Christmas Tree Shoppe, which is more upscale” she said politely, clutching plastic microwave covers for under $1.

Cohen may have an easy time introducing his shop to consumers in South Portland, because of his name recognition.

He already does his own TV commercials, and they are just as distinctive as the products he sells.

“I do in-your-face commercials,” says Cohen, whose Brooklyn accent betrays his roots. “I do the whole Crazy Eddie-style commercial. I’ve basically lost my anonymity in public.”

Cohen is most proud of the ad he shot on the Great Wall of China, when he was visiting the country scouting for retail bargains.

“I almost got arrested making the commercial,” he said laughing. “We got out of there just in time. People still ask me if I really was there.”

Cohen already has an idea for his first big TV ad announcing the South Portland store. He will show shots of his China visit then segue to photos of the Maine Mall shopping area.

“I will say, ‘from the Great Wall to the Maine Mall, Big Al’s has finally made it.”

Big Al’s brings ‘super values’ to mall areaBig Al’s brings ‘super values’ to mall area