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Business & Tech

Shoppers Go Goodwill Hunting for Bargains and Bag a Record-Breaker

Shoppers came out in force for the grand opening of the new Gig Harbor Goodwill store off of Olympic Drive NW. The number of transactions set a record for the retailer.

A large crowd turned out early Thursday morning for the grand opening ceremony of the new store off of Olympic Drive NW.

Nearly 500 shoppers had made purchases of handbags, books and other items by around lunchtime. According to Goodwill spokesman Matthew Erlich, the new Gig Harbor location set a new record, beating Bonney Lake, for openings among Tacoma Goodwill’s family of 27 stores. 

By Friday, the store recorded more than 1,200 transactions, and customers bought more than 1,100 books and 280 handbags.

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The new store, located in the Olympic Village Shopping Center, opened its doors to customers at about 9 a.m., following a short grand opening ceremony that included appearances by state Sen. Derek Kilmer, Rep. Larry Seaquist and Gig Harbor Mayor Chuck Hunter.

“This store is phenomenal. This is a new location and a new style. I think you’re really going to enjoy it,” said Jane Taylor, Tacoma-Goodwill’s board chairperson.

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Goodwill has operated in Gig Harbor for nearly 10 years out of its store in the Safeway shopping mall on Pt. Fosdick Drive. It was forced to find a new location earlier this year when construction of a new Safeway got underway.

Although smaller in square footage than the old Pt. Fosdick location, the new site maximizes its space by using layout and design features not typically found in Goodwill stores. These include a split-level floor plan, displaying clothing along the walls and arranging merchandise in clearly defined areas — all with the aim to give the new Gig Harbor Goodwill a department store feel.

“There are women’s shoes in the women’s area and men’s shoes in the men’s area, which we didn’t do at the other store,” said Gig Harbor store manager Diana Reinhardt. “It was a fun challenge to come in and bring groups of merchandise together to make it look coordinated and like a department store.”

There is a new fashions department at the Olympic Village location. The store’s book section, with 40,000 volumes, is the largest in the Tacoma-Goodwill family. Once the grand opening sale ends, the plan is to add a reader’s nook, where customers will be able to sit down, read and “look before they buy,” said Reinhardt.

Customers certainly seemed to approve of the new stores. Fox Island resident Pam Greinke was all smiles as she filled her cart with items on Thursday morning. She was a regular weekly customer at the old Goodwill location and intends to be an equally frequent shopper at the new store.

“I drop in whenever I’m in town,” Greinke said. “I’ve found lots of good buys here.” 

Gig Harbor Goodwill’s grand opening sale will run through Sunday, June 26. The celebration includes chances to win $50 gas cards, $100 Fred Meyer gift cards and iPods as well as on-site live broadcasts by radio stations WARM 106.9 and STAR 101.5.

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