After years on the east side of Emporia, Goodwill’s thrift store has officially gone over to the west side.
A special ribbon-cutting ceremony was held at the new location at 2200 Industrial Road on Thursday. President and CEO Laura Ritterbush says the store offers more space for items. It also streamlines the donation process with a new door on the front side of the store — and it lets staffers have more space for storage, sorting and even break times.
Ritterbush says the Emporia store has been among the state’s top performing stores despite the previous store’s limitations, in large part due to the work of local management.
Besides the additional space for shoppers and staffers, Ritterbush also says the new store could well lead to more foot traffic because of other stores nearby including the Emporia Pavilions development, Flinthills Mall and Walmart.
The change in store location isn’t the only change for Goodwill locally, although Ritterbush isn’t hinting specifically at what is coming to the Emporia area. Besides thrift stores, Goodwill helps residents with work opportunities, pathways to high school diplomas. It also offers programs for residents with disabilities.
