Goodwill's Dalton store to open April 11

Many people know Goodwill as a great place to shop, said Michelle Turner, director of marketing and communications for Goodwill Industries of the Greater Chattanooga Area.

“But they may not know about all of the services we provide, which are funded by the sales from our stores,” she said.

Goodwill Industries of the Greater Chattanooga Area provides training, education and employment for people in its 23-county territory in Tennessee and North Georgia. It will celebrate the grand opening of its newest store at 1001 Market St. in Dalton with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Thursday, April 11, at 8:30 a.m.

“Throughout the day, as supplies last, we will be giving away door prizes,” Turner said.

Goodwill Industries was founded in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1902. Goodwill Industries of the Greater Chattanooga Area has been helping people get the training and skills they need to find employment since 1923.

Goodwill stores sell donated clothing, furniture, housewares and other items at low prices. Revenue from sales goes toward funding Goodwill’s job training programs. Those programs include job training and placement services for people with disabilities, veterans and those facing barriers to employment. Those services may include helping people write a résumé, helping them with their interview skills and career counseling.

“It may be something as simple as helping them learn to dress for a professional setting,” Turner said.

The Dalton Goodwill store will also house an Opportunity Center that will provide such services and more to job seekers.

This will be Goodwill Industries of the Greater Chattanooga Area’s 18th store and second Opportunity Center in a store.

“The nice thing about the Dalton location is that the Opportunity Center is located inside the store, so when shoppers come in they can see it,” said Rachel Inman, senior director of mission services for Goodwill Industries of the Greater Chattanooga Area.

She said the Opportunity Center will serve people from across Northwest Georgia.

“We are going to have a computer center where people can work on their résumés,” she said. “They can work with staff who will provide tips and review. We will also have two office spaces they can go into if they have any type of virtual interviews.”

The center will have a community resource wall where local nonprofits can outline their services.

“If the people we serve are having trouble with food or clothing or shelter or anything like that, we want to be able to connect them with the places that can help them,” Inman said.

The center will also have a Donation XPress Center, which allows for quicker donations.

The store’s hours will be Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. The Opportunity Center hours will be Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at first, but officials said they hope to expand those hours eventually.

“We are especially excited to open our Dalton store because, along with the store, we are also opening another Opportunity Center,” said Gena Weldon, president and CEO of Goodwill Industries of the Greater Chattanooga Area in a press release.

“More than 85 cents of every dollar earned or received by Goodwill supports our mission,” Weldon said. “When people shop or donate at Goodwill, they are changing lives by helping to provide free job training and employment opportunities for our community’s most vulnerable citizens.”

To find out more about Goodwill, including donation guidelines, go to goodwillchatt.org.

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