Goodwill will change locations next month, with a grand opening scheduled for April 18.
Public relations and community engagement manager Kerri Nettles said the new location will still be a full service Goodwill with a donation center included, so those who wish to donate items will still be able to just visit the Goodwill store.
“The only difference is that this one will also include the Career Services Center for anyone who wants to utilize those services,” Nettles said.
Goodwill is currently located at 2016 N. West Ave. The new Goodwill site will be located at 1430 N. West Ave., in the shopping center that hosts Victory Church and the Central Arkansas Development Council office.
The Goodwill Career Center is something Nettles said could be a boon to the community. Nettles described the centers as a free employment service for people in the community, including business owners who need help screening potential employees.
“If you need help looking for a job and actually getting leads on openings and making contacts, we can do that … If you need to practice your interview skills, we have coaching for that,” she said. “And those are all free to the community.”
The Career Center also offers free resume preparation and other services.
“Every time you’re buying something, you’re donating, you’re helping someone be able to go to our Career Center and get free help finding a job,” Nettles said.
The Career Center will have a separate office inside the new Goodwill store. Nettles said there are 24 other Career Centers in Arkansas and Goodwill is working to place one in every store.
“This is what we do is try to find people work. That’s what our stores are there for, is to fund our programs. We want to be able to offer as many of those programs wherever they’re needed as possible,” Nettles said. “Our mission is to change lives through education, training and employment.”
Nettles said the move was not prompted by anything in particular; she said they found “a good opportunity with a great space” at the new location.
The current Goodwill site, in the Northwest Village Shopping Center, is a leased location, Nettles said. She did not say whether the new location had been purchased or leased.
At present, the new site is undeveloped; large ducts can be seen hanging from the ceiling alongside construction tools. The new site is scheduled to open for business at 9 a.m. April 18.
Nettles said Goodwill is particularly excited to be expanding in El Dorado.
“El Dorado is just growing so quickly, so we are really glad to be able to offer that. [El Dorado’s] got so much forward momentum as far as economy and the arts and everything else,” she said.
Caitlan Butler can be reached at 870-862-6611 or [email protected].
