Goodwill set to open first Blacksburg location: The Patrick Henry center store should not affect sales at the top-performing Chr
FDO | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating -- Goodwill Industries of the Valleys is on track to open its first Blacksburg store this summer in the Patrick Henry Shopping Center.
The storefront at the center, at the corner of North Main Street and Patrick Henry Drive, was the former home of Family Dollar, which closed in December.
The new store should not have an impact on sales at the Christiansburg location, which is the top producer of the organization's 28 stores, said Kelly Sandridge, community relations director for Goodwill Industries of the Valleys.
The Christiansburg store has already reached sales of $1 million during this fiscal year, which runs from July to June.
"It's an option to residents of Blacksburg," Sandridge said of the new store. "People are still going to be going to Christiansburg to shop because that's where most of the major retailers are located."
The only major renovation to the building will be the addition of an exterior door to accommodate the donation center, Sandridge said. Dressing rooms will also be added inside.
A donation center has been in place in the parking lot since February. There, residents can donate gently used clothing, household items, furniture, small appliances and computers.
The Blacksburg location will employ 15 people, including management.
Goodwill Industries of the Valleys, which is based in Roanoke, has seen an 8 percent rise in overall sales this year, according to the numbers through February, Sandridge said. The New River Valley is "on par with that," she said.
Most of that increase is attributed to new customers looking to save money during the economic downturn, Sandridge said.
However, donations have only risen 4 percent in that time, Sandridge said. Goodwill tracks the numbers of people making donations, not the amount of goods they donate.
"People are hanging on to items a little more," Sandridge said.
To offset the difference, Goodwill is partnering with businesses and churches to hold donation drives throughout the New River Valley.
Ten percent of the money made in the stores goes to Goodwill operations. The other 90 percent goes to work force programs training and employment programs, Sandridge said.
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