The Knoxville News-Sentinel, Tenn., Roger Harris column: One last stop at Goody's

Apr 05, 2009 (The Knoxville News-Sentinel - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- GDYS | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating -- It was a spur of the moment decision when my wife, Cheryl, and I decided to see what was left for sale inside the cavernous Goody's Family Clothing distribution center on a recent Sunday afternoon.

For weeks we have driven past the sign advertising the sale of "furniture and fixtures" outside the defunct company's headquarters but had never felt the urge to stop.

This time a poster board sign flapping in the wind at the entrance off of Parkside Drive in West Knoxville caught our attention. Just like a yard sale. We had to stop. The hand-drawn sign promised 70 percent off of everything.

We drove past the empty loading docks and headed for a cluster of cars parked in "visitor" spaces. We pulled into a space reserved for "Employee of the month."

"Guess they won't mind," I said.

The weather was appropriately dismal -- cold, windy and overcast -- for viewing the corporate carcass. Inside, we found a handful of workers dismantling shelves, stacking boxes and one guy who was laying out 30-foot lengths of cable thick as your wrist. In today's market, the copper wiring will bring a pretty penny.

Only a few curious shoppers browsed through an odd mix of leftovers.

Boxes filled with unwanted Goody's formal wear were stacked next to boxes crammed with plastic bags, hangers, gift cards, cash register tapes and plastic drain guards.

In a room off of the main floor were tables piled with security cameras, monitors and other cast-off electronic gear.

In another room, workers were shoveling piles of paper, cardboard and other debris into giant containers.

Pushed together near the front door were a few dozen battered desks, chairs with torn upholstery and dented filing cabinets. Some of the furniture still sported cubicle decorations familiar to most offices -- stickers, University of Tennessee football schedules and magnets that at some point in the not too distant past were important to someone.

It was a bit surreal, and we didn't linger long.

It was strange to think that a little more than a year before, the distribution would have been crammed with tons of clothing and other goods. At any given time, a fleet of trucks would have been backed up to the loading docks waiting to be filled.

Workers would have been hustling to make sure the distribution system ran smoothly.

For years Goody's corporate headquarters fronting on Interstate 40/75 between Cedar Bluff and Lovell roads was a symbol of Knoxville's economic progress. At its peak Goody's employed more than 8,000 people, operated more than 300 retail stores in 21 states and generated annual sales of more than $1.6 billion.

After decades of strong growth, the end came all too quickly. On Jan. 2 Goody's filed for bankruptcy protection for the second time in less than eight months.

Some say the company was a victim of the recession. Some say mismanagement.

Given the current state of the economy, why the company failed doesn't seem to matter. What matters now is finding a new user for the high-profile property.

Hopefully one that will have a better ending.

Assistant business editor Roger Harris may be reached at 865-342-6342 or rharris@knoxvillebiz.com.

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