The revitalization of the newly-renamed Fort Howard Square continues to move along as clothier maurices had its grand opening Friday.

The women’s clothing store chain calls itself the leading small-town specialty store and opened its 634th U.S. store in Rincon.

“I did a lot of research on the area, and Effingham County is growing so much,” district manager Kim Riner said. “We’re just excited to be a part of a growing community.”

The developers of Fort Howard Square called maurices about opening a store in the center and Riner is delighted with the changes that are taking place.

“It looks great,” she said.

Store manager Eddie Taylor said the new store will mean women won’t have to drive into Savannah to find the clothes and accessories they want.

“We’re a small market retailer, so Rincon is perfect for the company,” Riner said. “We’re trying to bring the big city to the small town.”

Taylor already has gone to local schools to get students ready for job interviews.

“He taught them interview skills, how to dress, how to present themselves, how to follow up,” Riner said.

“All the students wrote notes to us thanking us for teaching them skills they didn’t know,” Taylor said.

Nationally, maurices is a sponsor for the Relay for Life. The company was founded in 1931 in Duluth, Minn., and is now in 42 states.

“Any way we can get involved in the community, we do,” Taylor said.