Chattanooga Goodwill opens bigger East Ridge store, turns old location to donation center

Half an hour before doors opened at the new East Ridge Goodwill, there were more than a hundred prospective shoppers lined up down to the street corner, with a determination for resale deals that a gray sky and steady rainfall couldn't falter.

At least 184 customers, not including babies and children, were in the first rush that filed two and three at a time into the 34,790-square-foot building Thursday morning. The Goodwill store at 3715 Ringgold Road occupies a former Food City with 17,390 square feet of retail space and includes a donation center and room for a future career services hub.

The store replaces the previous 7,000 square foot East Ridge location at 5082 South Terrace, which no longer sells products but will remain open solely as a donation center.

Gena Weldon, CEO of Goodwill Industries of the Greater Chattanooga Area, touted the local Goodwill chapter's century-long history and its impact on the community to commemorate the store opening.

"Every shirt, every piece of furniture, and every household item that's given to our organization represents someone's chance to learn new skills, gain meaningful work, and build a stronger future," she said.

Goodwill Industries of the Greater Chattanooga Area is a locally owned nonprofit acting as a member agency of Goodwill Industries International. The local chapter is governed by a six-member board of directors and operates in a 23-county area in Southeast Tennessee and Northwest Georgia.

The Ringgold Road location brings the number of Goodwill stores in the region to 16.

The nonprofit also operates three opportunity centers, two in Chattanooga stores and one in Dalton. A fourth career assistance location is planned for the East Ridge store, but there is no set timeline for when it will be open.

On opening day, most patrons were too busy shopping to stop for interviews. A handful even brought their own recording equipment to strap to carts and livestream their thrifting adventure.

Leola Jackson, a 76-year-old Chattanooga native, has been shopping at Goodwill "a long time."

"I love it. I like everything I get." She said. "Clothes and lamps and pillows."

Jackson also went to opening day for the Fort Oglethorpe Goodwill that debuted in November and was a frequent shopper at the previous East Ridge Goodwill store, where she would get gifts for her grandkids.

Goodwill hired 31 employees to service the new store and plans on filling more positions, including part-time staff, in the future. Method Architecture, Hoar Construction and Urban Story Ventures were involved in the renovation from a Food City interior. Urban Story purchased the shopping center in 2023 with plans to redevelop the former Food City.