Dylan Lightfoot | Jefferson Post Goodwill District Manager Summer Hatley will be running her 8th Goodwill store when the West Jefferson location opens on the 28th. "It's not like a big box company," she said, "we're more of a family."

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Dylan Lightfoot

Staff Writer

dlightfoot@civitasmedia.com

The long-awaited grand opening of the new West Jefferson Goodwill is scheduled for 8 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 28, following a Chamber of Commerce ribbon cutting ceremony.

Goodwill District Manager Summer Hatley said the store is about half-ready. “We’ve finished all the clothes, now we’re putting up the hard goods,” she said.

“We’re going to have some very special finds from donated goods,” said Hatley.

A tentative mid-January opening date had been announced for the store, but Hatley said this was a just projected date. “We’ve had a lot of people come by and ask when we’re opening,” she said.

“We had a lot of prep and hiring to do,” she said. “We’ve hired 11 employees, all from the local area.”

The new Goodwill will have “very close to 7,000 square feet” of retail space, said Associate Vice President of Retail Jerry Oliver, “with the prettiest view in all of Goodwill history.” Three fitting rooms have been provided for clothes shoppers.

“Our donations in West Jefferson have always been good,” he said. “That’s why we were able to do a store here.”

The Goodwill donations trailer, which has long been parked near Lowes Foods, will be going away, Hatley said. After the opening, donations will be received at the covered drive-though drop-off on the side of the building.

While Goodwill stores are synonymous with resale, Oliver said they will be stocking some new merchandise. “We’ve been doing some purchasing of closeouts.”

The West Jefferson location will make the eighth store in the district Hatley manages. She values the company’s community focus, she said.

“We’re not like a big box company; we’re more of a family,” Hatley said. “People will be able to buy more here than at Walmart.”