When the going gets tough, Goodwill gets going.
The nonprofit has belied the economic downturn by launching five secondhand stores in the past eight months, including two types of stores that are new to Tucson - an electronics shop and an outlet.
And the momentum will continue, according to Lisa Allen, chief operating officer for Goodwill Industries of Southern Arizona, who said the company is negotiating three leases for stores that could open this year, including locations on the far east side, Foothills and northwest.
Each Goodwill employs more than 30 people, Allen said.
The expansion process began in 2008 when the store at West Valencia and South Midvale Park roads opened with a cleaner design, with wide aisles, natural light, clothing sorted by size and color and a reading section reminiscent of a corporate bookstore.
People are also reading…
Some Goodwill stores feature job centers with phones and computers for people to use as they hunt for jobs. They can also get assistance from staffers on résumés and job applications.
The two newest stores are different models than what Tucsonans are used to.
The outlet store at 1830 E. Irvington Road is the place products from other Tucson Goodwills go to die. If an item doesn't sell in a Goodwill store after a month it's sent to the outlet, where people pay $1.39 per pound for the stuff.
The 1770 S. Cherrybell Stravenue location sells electronics exclusively, and customers can plug the devices in to see if they work before they buy. Computers, record players and CD players are among the products sold, and if you donate your computer, workers will wipe your hard drive and resell it.
Allen said Goodwill is thriving, in part because the economy has driven people to become more thrifty.
"A lot of it is word-of-mouth branding from better service in the stores. All that helps, and the economy has driven people here," she said. "They know they're going to get a bargain when they come in. We have brand-name items and they pay a third or a quarter of what they would at other places."
DID YOU KNOW
Goodwill has opened five stores in the last eight months:
Sept. 2009 - 3925 N. Flowing Wells Road.
Dec. 2009 - 300 N. Fourth Ave.
Feb. 2010 - 4082 E. 22nd St.
May 2010 - 1830 E. Irvington Road.
May 2010 - 1770 S. Cherrybell Stravenue.
Contact reporter Phil Villarreal at 573-4130 or pvillarreal@azstarnet.com