More Images
Related Links
Goodwill hunting for job-seekers
Cesar Alzate, left, and Gloria Armstrong, center, check out the jewerly and stones at the Goodwill on Sebastopol Road. Alzate, an antique collector who has been shopping at the store the last six years, also shops at the store for items to send to Columbia to donate to poor communities there. Armstrong has been shopping at the store for the last 15 years and has noticed a lot more people. "I even see middle class people shopping in the store now," Armstrong said.
CRISTA JEREMIASON / The Press DemocratPublished: Thursday, July 16, 2009 at 4:27 p.m.
Last Modified: Thursday, July 16, 2009 at 4:27 p.m.
Thomas Morabito has seen a change at the Goodwill store on Sebastopol Road in Santa Rosa, where he’s a regular shopper.
Facts
GOODWILL JOB FAIR
WHEN: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday
WHERE: New Goodwill store in Sebastopol, 6826 Sebastopol Ave.
POSITIONS: Manager, cashiers, warehouse, other openings
PAY: $8 to $16 per hour
MORE INFORMATION: Goodwill Industries of the Redwood Empire, www.gire.org
“I used to be in here by myself,” he said Thursday, perusing Goodwill’s selection of used books. “Now you can’t find a parking space.”
Sales at Goodwill retail outlets are soaring despite the weak economy, as consumers turn to thrift stores to stretch their dollars.
Goodwill Industries of the Redwood Empire posted more than $8 million in sales at its nine stores in Sonoma, Napa and Mendocino counties for the year ending June 30, up 17 percent from the prior year.
“People need clothes no matter how tough the times are, and we provide a good value,” said Charlie Stamps, who heads retail operations for Goodwill.
Now the nonprofit is in expansion mode. Goodwill is opening a 10th store in Sebastopol next month and it is looking for another new location in Napa County.
On Monday, Goodwill will host a job fair at the new Sebastopol location, 6826 Sebastopol Ave. The organization is hiring a dozen people for manager, cashier, warehouse and other positions.
The jobs pay $8 to $16 per hour, and full-time positions offer medical benefits. The job fair will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The 5,000-square-foot Sebastopol location is scheduled to open Aug. 28.
The Santa Rosa store was busy Thursday with shoppers looking for clothes, cookware, home furnishings and other items.
The crowds at Goodwill steadily increased as the economy started spiraling downward last year, said Morabito, who lives in Sebastopol. Goodwill’s managers report about 22 percent more customers than there were a year ago.
“You can see that the times are bad,” Morabito said.
Thrift stores haven’t been entirely immune to the recession.
Last year, the Salvation Army closed one of its stores in Santa Rosa and another in Napa because of a drop in donations. People were selling unwanted items online or at garage sales instead of donating them, according to nonprofit officials.
Goodwill also saw donations drop last year, Stamps said. But the organization took steps to increase giving, opening new donation sites and increasing outreach to supporters.
“We’re not recession-proof, but we’re somewhat insulated, as long as we can keep donations strong,” he said.
Goodwill hires people with disabilities and other barriers to employment, including past trouble with the law, Stamps said. The nonprofit also offers a variety of training, independent living and support programs for people with disabilities.
All rights reserved. This copyrighted material may not be re-published without permission. Links are encouraged.
Comments are currently unavailable on this article