Disney fans along the I-75 corridor are getting a new option for discounted park merchandise without driving to Orlando. Disney Character Warehouse is opening at Tampa Premium Outlets in Wesley Chapel, making the outlet mall home to the brand's third U.S. location.

The store will occupy roughly 6,000 square feet and sell overstock and retired merchandise from Walt Disney World, according to Tampa Bay Business Journal reporter Madalyn Blair, who first reported the news Wednesday, Aug. 12. At the existing Orlando locations, shoppers find 50% to 80% off apparel, toys, pins, collectibles, kitchen items and park-themed goods from previous seasons.

This is the first Disney Character Warehouse outside the Orlando metro area. The other two stores sit at Orlando International Premium Outlets on International Drive and Orlando Vineland Premium Outlets on Vineland Avenue.

Job listings show hiring underway ahead of opening

Disney began posting job listings for the Wesley Chapel location as early as Aug. 6, according to the company's careers portal. A full-time merchandise inventory specialist position starts at $20.10 per hour, while a guest experience manager role lists a salary range of $56,700 to $76,000 per year. Both postings place the store under the Walt Disney World Resort business unit.

The manager posting describes leading all aspects of daily merchandise operations at the Tampa Premium Outlets location, confirming the store's operational structure and active hiring.

No opening date set as outlet mall keeps adding tenants

No official opening date has been announced. WDWMagic, a Walt Disney World news site, reported Tuesday, Aug. 11, that no timeline has been set.

Tampa Premium Outlets, at 2300 Grand Cypress Drive off I-75, continues to add tenants to the Simon Property Group center that draws regional shoppers from Hillsborough, Hernando and Pasco counties. Residents interested in the new positions can apply through Disney's careers website.