By Jordan Studer
news@wbcowqel.com
Dreams came true Tuesday morning at the ribbon cutting for the expansion at the Galion Goodwill store.
Employees have been working very hard over the past three years to make the expansion possible, and finally all of their hard work paid off.
“We are very excited. When I first started here three years ago that was the goal for the employees is to expand. So, we worked very diligently for three years to accomplish this. So, all of the employees are excited,” store manager Penny Charleston excitedly gushed about the store enlargement.
The expansion consisted of roughly 1,200 square feet. This allowed for additional sellable floor space as well as warehouse space.
Kathy Wink, director of marketing for all of Marion Goodwill, which covers a five-county area consisting of Marion, Delaware, Union, Crawford, and Morrow counties, explained what the expansion allowed them to add on.
“We added on the whole entire kid’s section so it’s easier to shop. We also added on in the back 500 square feet of warehouse sorting space… when the items come in that are donated how we can sort, we have more room now, so we can accept more donations. The kids section before was kind of crammed and in a whole other area, so it’s just much easier for the customer to shop.”
The expansion also created an opportunity for the store to increase the number of employees on staff by four thus far. They are currently still in the process of hiring more employees. For those interested in joining the Galion Goodwill staff, they can drop off their application at the store any time.
When asking Charleston how she sees this expansion adding to their business, she excitedly replied, “Oh I see it working great! Everybody’s excited that comes in. They have been anticipating it from the beginning since we started blocking everything off, and sales have increased already. And with the extra space in the back to produce production, and to add people back there, its just more products going to come out on the floor and sales will continue to rise.”
Faye Holbrook, a regular customer who likes to think of herself as the store grandma, was beyond excited to see the expansion finally open. When asking Faye what keeps her coming back she sentimentally answered, “the store itself, the merchandise, and the girls, they’re all my girls. It’s just a good place to go. It’s a pleasure to come here. I really like the new store now. I love it. I couldn’t wait until they opened the other part.”
According to the Charleston, Holbrook has the right idea to come to the store every day to see what new items are put out each day.
“You do want to be here every day because like they said, there’s lots of new products coming out every day. They hang upwards of 2,000 pieces of clothing a day,” explains Charleston.
Now that Charleston’s first goal of expanding the store has been seen through, it’s on to bigger dreams
“My goal, within three years, is to even expand more. We will hit our yearly goal this year at $750,000, so within the next three years we are hoping to be a million-dollar store. We’re going to work hard for it, that’s for sure.”
If you are interested in being on staff and helping Galion Goodwill become a million-dollar store, applications are currently being accepted. If you are interested in checking out the store expansion, hours will remain the same 9a.m. to 9p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays.
Galion Goodwill is located on 753 Carter Drive. They can be contacted by phone at (419) 462-0661.