Goodwill Industries opens new store, donation center in Ypsilanti

Goodwill Industries of Greater Detroit is opening its sixth store in Metro Detroit on Ypsilanti’s Carpenter Road near Ellis Road. The new facility will offer options for both donations and retail with the idea of serving Washtenaw County residents.

“It’s a brand-new building from the ground up,” says Jim Kornas, vice president of growth and marketing initiatives for Goodwill Industries of Greater Detroit. “It’s our first store in Washtenaw County.”

Goodwill Industries of Greater Detroit is a non-profit based in Detroit’s North Corktown neighborhood. It focuses on helping provide job training, employment attainment, and similar opportunities for southeast Michigan’s poor and working-class populations. One of its larger operations is its retail outlets. The stores not only help raise funds for the organization but provide retail jobs to people in its job-training programs.

“We provide that work experience so people can build a resume so we can essentially vouch for them to future employers,” Kornas says.

Goodwill Industries of Greater Detroit’s Ypsilanti store employs 22 people. It’s 14,378 square feet sell everything from gently-used clothing to kids games to books. There is also a donation center on site.

“Ypsilanti is a great area for donations,” Kornas says. “One of the things a store like our’s needs is great donations.”

Source: Jim Kornas, vice president of growth and marketing initiatives for Goodwill Industries of Greater Detroit
Writer: Jon Zemke

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