Helena Goodwill is ready to open the doors at a new store.
The Helena Area Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon cutting Wednesday evening at its new location – 3575 Ptarmigan Lane, across from Macy’s.
Employees have been working for about three weeks to get the building ready for customers.
It’s more than twice the size of the old Goodwill store, a few blocks away down Montana Avenue. That will give shoppers more merchandise to choose from, while the larger staff means more jobs will be available.
There are also improvements for people bringing in donations.
”Before we didn’t have a covered drive-thru,” said Jason Asher, director of retail projects for Easter Seals-Goodwill Northern Rocky Mountain. “Now, when you pull up, you’re covered, your donations are covered and protected, and we can help you right there at the back door.”
Asher says the larger building will also help Goodwill expand its recycling operations.
Last year, the Helena store recycled almost 450,000 pounds of material. Asher compared that to the weight of the Statue of Liberty.
The new store will open to shoppers for the first time Thursday morning at 8 a.m. Goodwill will be offering gift cards and other prizes throughout the day.
