Exhibit 31.1

CHIEF
EXECUTIVE OFFICER CERTIFICATION PURSUANT TO SECTION 302 OF SARBANES OXLEY ACT
2002

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|I,
 Robert J. Higgins, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Trans World
 Entertainment Corporation (the Company), certify that:
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|                                                                                                                                     | (1) | I
 have reviewed this quarterly report on Form 10Q of the Company;                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    
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|                                                                                                                                     | (2) | Based
 on my knowledge, this quarterly report does not contain any untrue statement
 of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the
 statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements
 were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this
 quarterly report;    
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|                                                                                                                                     | (3) | Based
 on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information
 included in this quarterly report, fairly present in all material respects
 the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the Company
 as of, and for, the periods presented in this quarterly report;                           
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|                                                                                                                                     | (4) | The
 Companys other certifying officer and I are responsible for establishing
 and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act
 Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) and internal control over financial reporting
 (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15-d-15(e)) for the Company
 and we have:
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|                                                                                                                                     |     |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         | (a) | designed
 such disclosure controls and procedures or caused such disclosure controls
 and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that material
 information relating to the Company, including its consolidated subsidiaries,
 is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during the
 period in which this report is being prepared;
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|                                                                                                                                     |     |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         | (b) | designed
 such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal
 control over financial reporting to be designed under our supervision, to
 provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting
 and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in
 accordance with generally accepted accounting principles;   
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|                                                                                                                                     |     |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         | (c) | evaluated
 the effectiveness of the Companys disclosure controls and procedures and
 presented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the
 disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by
 this report based on such evaluation; and                                                                                           
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|                                                                                                                                     |     |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         | (d) | disclosed
 in this report any change in the Companys internal control over financial
 reporting that occurred during the Companys most recent fiscal quarter that
 has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the
 Companys internal control over financial reporting; and                                                                      
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|                                                                                                                                     | (5) | The
 Companys other certifying officer and I have disclosed, based on our most
 recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to the
 Companys auditors and the audit committee of the Companys board of
 directors:                                                                                              
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|                                                                                                                                     |     |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         | (a) | all
 significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation
 of internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to
 adversely affect the Companys ability to record, process, summarize and
 report financial information; and                                                                                                     
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|                                                                                                                                     |     |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         | (b) | any
 fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees
 who have a significant role in the Companys internal control over financial
 reporting.                                                                                                                                                                                                     

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|----------------------- | --------------------------------------
|Dated: December 9, 2010 |                                       
|                        | /s/ Robert J. Higgins                 
|                        |                                       
|                        | Robert J. Higgins                     
|                        | Chairman and Chief
 Executive Officer 
|                        | Trans World Entertainment
 Corporation

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