TJ Maxx
A TJ Maxx storefront.Áine Cain/Insider
  • The TJ Maxx where Heard was spotted is in the middle of a wealthy area.

  • The reality star said that it was like a store in the Hamptons.

  • Everyone goes to the TJ Maxx location, according to an EastHampton resident.

It's not the new restaurant opening or celebrity appearance that's the biggest open secret in the area. There is a TJ Maxx in a strip mall.

While the rest of the world paid attention to Heard shopping at TJ Maxx, the actor knows something they don't: It's the secret hot.

The TJ Maxx store in the ultra-exclusive hamlet of Bridgehampton has become a hangout for budget-conscious elites and the summering class.

Image consultant Mona Sharaf, shown here in NYC, swears by the Hamptons TJ Maxx.
Image consultant Mona Sharaf swears by the Hamptons TJ Maxx.Courtesy of Mona Sharaf.

When she's not shopping in New York she makes time for TJ Maxx.

It's a secret that I make it a point to shop there. They cater to the neighborhood. They sell based on who the customer is. That's the reason you'll find nicer things in Brooklyn.

She said a $1,000 budget will stretch further at TJ Maxx than any retail boutique. She said you could get six instead of two.

She will not be embarrassed by anyone catching her at the store. There is no shame in getting a good deal.

The "exclusive" Runway designer section of TJ Maxx.Nancy Lane/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald via Getty Images

When I inquired about celebrity shoppers in the store, a TJ Maxx associate was unwilling to answer the question. I don't really know offhand. The clerk said he couldn't really tell.

The "Runway" section is where Heard and her sister were filmed shopping.

The best open secret in the Hamptons is also a favorite of local celebrities

"Real Housewife" Jill Zarin, seen here with a candle from her Jill & Ally line, is a regular at the Hamptons TJ Maxx, which carries her products.Madison Lane Photo.

"Real Housewives of New York" alum,Jill Zarin, said that it was similar to a store in the Hamptons. A line of candles is carried at the store by the reality star and her daughter Zarin will have her boyfriend wait in the car if she goes there with her friends.

Zarin gave an explanation. She said that the TJ Maxx location wanted it to be a scavenger hunt. You can find the shoes in the store.

The store is a secret gem among all the boutiques in the East End, according to Bianca D'Alessio. I'm always on a quest there. She told you to go in with a mission.

Stacy Geisinger, second from left, shows off the colorful Pucci dress she scored at TJ Maxx in the Hamptons.Courtesy of Stacy Geisinger.

Insider of the store spoke to a woman who has a summer place in EastHampton, who said that everyone goes there. She said that "fancy people" eat up the assortment of Pucci, Vince, and Valentino on offer. "Well, they might talk about it to me, a size 14, if they're a size 2, because they don't want to share, so there's more for them," said the author of the book.

The woman who clued her in on the store was a member of the Gala circuit. She told me that TJ Maxx is the best in the country.

Geisinger warned about leaving the telltale tag on, which she said she once spotted on someone. If you can find something that fits, and it's a designer, that's all that matters. She said that nobody needs to know if you take that big tag off. Everyone knows what their tag is.

Philanthropist and fashionista Jean Shafiroff in the Hamptons in June 2022.Patrick McMullan/PMC via Getty Images

She got a Pucci dress for less than $300. She wore a bright dress to the Shop the Day Away luncheon in Palm Beach this past winter with confidence. She told Insider that she only spent a few hundred.

She can always find something at the location.

"They have everything you could want and more, and I brought my friend Lucia Hwong Gordon with me to shop at the store," she said. She got a Runway dress for her child. She said it was designer and a fraction of the cost. Everyone likes a bargain.

You can read the original article.