In 1976, T.J. Maxx was founded in Framingham, Massachusetts, by Taras Sokil as a nameplate of the Zayre discount department store chain. When Zayre sold their own nameplate to Ames, a rival discount department store, Zayre was renamed as "TJX Companies, Incorporated"

T.J. Maxx also operates in the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, and Germany under the name "T.K. Maxx".