Goodwill Industries of Greater Detroit

Goodwill Industries of Greater Detroit returns to retail, announces new store to help fight local unemployment

6/28/2010

Goodwill’s flagship retail location in Canton will be the organization’s first store in Metro Detroit in 10 years

DETROIT – Marking a new beginning in the ongoing battle against Southeast Michigan unemployment, Goodwill Industries of Greater Detroit today announced plans to open an upscale retail store in Canton, Mich. Scheduled to open in October 2010, the 17,000 square-foot facility located at 41905 Ford Road will be the first retail location operated by Goodwill Industries of Greater Detroit in Southeast Michigan since 2000.

Goodwill Industries of Greater Detroit expects its flagship store to generate approximately $1 million in revenue in the first year. Proceeds from the store will fund local Goodwill employment training, education and support programs. Featuring upscale boutique clothing and other donated goods, the store will be modeled after the nation’s two most successful Goodwill retail locations in Indianapolis and Portland, Ore.

Initially, the Canton store will create 23 jobs for the region. Goodwill intends to look at recent graduates of its local career training and education programs to fill a majority of these positions. The store also will create training opportunities allowing participants in Goodwill programs to gain real-world experience as they work to earn permanent positions.

The organization already has begun the search for a professional store manager and two experienced assistant managers. Individuals interested in applying for jobs at the Goodwill Canton retail store should click the “Jobs at Goodwill” link at http://www.goodwillldetroit.org.

“While not operating a retail store for the past decade, we have been creative and proactive in funding, promoting and expanding our Metro Detroit job training programs and developing initiatives that actually create jobs in the region,” said President and CEO of Goodwill Industries of Greater Detroit Lorna G. Utley. “By adding an extensive and strategic retail presence to a mix of funding sources, programs and partnerships, we’ll be even better positioned to continue leading the way in helping our unemployed Southeast Michigan neighbors earn career opportunities. We’re helping local people with employment challenges become trained, trusted and ready to work.”

Goodwill Industries of Greater Detroit expects to open one to two new retail locations in Metro Detroit in each of the coming years. Director of Donated Goods Jeff Ukrainec will oversee this development as well as operations at the store.

Upon closing its last remaining Metro Detroit retail store around 2000, Goodwill Industries of Greater Detroit became one of the only Goodwill organizations worldwide to focus on non-retail opportunities to fund employment education and training programs for area individuals in need of jobs.

“Our return to retail is about more than just opening a store, it’s about creating Metro Detroit jobs,” said Goodwill Industries of Greater Detroit Vice President Lindsay Chalmers, who oversees business development for the organization. “As we lead the charge through the Detroit area’s current unemployment crisis, it’s crucial not just to help local people earn jobs, but to create the businesses that will create those jobs. With the opening of Goodwill’s Green Works, Inc. earlier this year and the opening of our flagship store in Canton, we’ve entered a critical new chapter in the fight for local jobs.”

Plans for the Canton store to be opened in the fall were made possible by generous support from a number of community partners:

The Junior Group of Goodwill Industries of Greater Detroit, a volunteer auxiliary group existing to support the organization, provided the seed money that enabled the project.
Warren, Mich.-based Art Van Furniture enabled Goodwill to transport goods to be sold at the store by donating a Goodwill branded truck to the operation. Madison Heights, Mich.-based 11 Mile Truck Frame & Axle donated initial truck maintenance and painting services.
Rogers, Minn.-based Archway Marketing Services donated warehouse space for the storage of donated goods prior to the store opening.
Detroit-based International Trading Solutions donated additional logistical support.
Thousands of pounds of clothing and textiles to be sold in the Canton store were donated through a partnership with area Bon-Ton Parisian and Elder-Beerman stores.

Goodwill Industries is the only organization in Southeast Michigan solely dedicated to helping local individuals overcome challenges and secure employment. In just the past two years of the organization’s nearly 90-year history, Goodwill Industries of Greater Detroit has placed more than 2,000 Wayne, Oakland and Macomb county individuals into new jobs and provided education, training and career assistance to thousands more in the region.

The organization’s founder, Rev. Dr. John Martin of Berkley, Mich. established Goodwill Industries of Greater Detroit’s first retail presence in 1921 with nothing more than 100 burlap bags and an antique truck. In its first year, the store generated $2,900 in revenue.

Until the Canton store opens, individuals wishing to donate new or gently used clothing or other items may drop them off at the organization’s Detroit headquarters (3111 Grand River) or call (313) 964-3900 for more information.

To connect with Goodwill Industries of Greater Detroit on Facebook, visit http://www.facebook.com/GoodwillDetroit. To follow the organization on Twitter, visit http://www.twitter.com/GoodwillDet.