Goodwill store to open next week
Published 10:59 pm Wednesday, June 29, 2011
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Books: Goodwill director of retail operations Martha Murdock, front, and district manager Jeannie Butler sort through books to stock the shelves of the organization’s new donation center on Bridge Road. The store opens July 5, and in addition to accepting donations, it will primarily sell media, such as books and DVDs, and electronics.
Suffolk residents will have an additional Goodwill drop-off location when the organization opens its new donation center Tuesday.
The store has taken up residence in a former gas station located on the corner of Bridge Road and Lee Farm Lane. The new location will primarily be a donation collection center.
This is Suffolk’s second Goodwill location. The first is located on North Main Street.
Danielle Cronin, Goodwill community relations manager for Hampton Roads and central Virginia, said the organization wanted to create a convenient location for North Suffolk residents to donate.
“Our goal at all donation sites is to help the customers as fast as we can, get them a receipt and get them on their way,” Cronin said.
The 2,100-square-foot store will accept donations of a wide variety of products, including clothing, toys, books, furniture and computers.
Martha Murdock, Goodwill’s director of retail operations for Hampton Roads and central Virginia, said all donations are welcome and appreciated.
“We are willing to accept anything people are willing to give,” she said.
Because of space constraints, however, the store cannot accept mattresses and major appliances.
Although it was originally planned to be a donation center only, the location will also feature items for sale.
However, the organization decided to make it a specialty store that will only sell media, such as books, DVDs and CDs, and electronics.
Cronin said this is the first store that will only sell media items, but people will still be able to find great deals.
On average, paperback and children’s books sell for $1 while CDs are priced at $3.25 and DVDs are $6.25.
“In comparison (to other stores), it’s such a great bargain,” Cronin said.
Cronin added that every purchase at Goodwill helps the organization with its mission to help people develop skills to find employment.
For every dollar Goodwill receives, 84 cents fund its mission projects. Last year, Goodwill used funds from its retail stores to support career development and services for thousands of people in the region, Cronin said.
“When you shop, you’re getting more than good bargains; you’re helping to support programs that are changing lives,” she said.
Murdock is helping to get the store ready for opening day, and she said residents seem to be welcoming the organization into the community.
The store already received two donations Wednesday even before it received its fixtures.
“We think the residents are really going to like having us here,” Murdock said.
The Bridge Road location will open July 5 at 9 a.m. Its regular business hours will be 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.
Murdock said Goodwill also plans to open another North Suffolk store that will sell a wider variety of items in early 2012.