New, larger Goodwill growing customers and donations

Leonard L. Hayhurst, Coshocton Tribune
·2 min read
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COSHOCTON − A new, larger Goodwill store has recently started operation to better serve customers of Coshocton County.

Patty Layland checks out Patsy Cruxton and Joann Cottrill at the new Goodwill store at 310 Whitewoman St. It opened Dec. 22 and is much larger than the old store with parking lot and covered donation drop-off drive-thru.
Patty Layland checks out Patsy Cruxton and Joann Cottrill at the new Goodwill store at 310 Whitewoman St. It opened Dec. 22 and is much larger than the old store with parking lot and covered donation drop-off drive-thru.

It was announced in December 2021 that Goodwill Industries had purchased a 1.586 acre property for $190,000 just west of Ohio 16 owned by the Coshocton Port Authority. The 10,500-square-foot retail and donation center at 310 Whitewoman St. opened Dec. 22.

The store has 12 regular employees and four senior employees 55 and older. Manager Regina Lahna said they process 12 to 14 racks of clothes a day and about that much of other items. Lahna has worked for Goodwill for nearly 21 years and been store manager for about eight years.

Goodwill retail stores sell a wide variety of used clothes and apparel, books, electronics, home décor and more. Proceeds goes toward job training, employment placements services and other community-based programs for people who have barriers to employment.

New is a covered area behind the building where donations can be dropped off. The store also has two registers where the old store only had one.

Heather Little sorts through clothing donations at the new Coshocton Goodwill at 310 Whitewoman St.
Heather Little sorts through clothing donations at the new Coshocton Goodwill at 310 Whitewoman St.

Lahna said donations have gone up since the move and she thinks that's because of the new convenient drop-off area and the store's prominent location just off of Ohio 16. She's also seen many new customers come in.

"People really seem to like the new store. They like how big it is and the bigger parking space is wonderful," she said. "We have more space and the work area is larger so we can process more items faster."

A new Goodwill store opened on Dec. 22 at 310 Whitewoman St. The store is larger than the old one with a parking lot and covered donation drop-off area.
A new Goodwill store opened on Dec. 22 at 310 Whitewoman St. The store is larger than the old one with a parking lot and covered donation drop-off area.

The non-profit was founded in 1902 by the Rev. Edgar J. Helms of the Morgan Methodist Chapel in Boston. Helms and his congregation collected used household goods and clothing being discarded in wealthier areas of the city, then trained and hired the unemployed or impoverished to mend and repair them. The products were then redistributed to those in need or were given to the needy people who helped repair them.

The new store is open from 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Monday to Saturday, closed Sunday.

Leonard Hayhurst is a community content coordinator and general news reporter for the Coshocton Tribune with more than 15 years of local journalism experience and multiple awards from the Ohio Associated Press. He can be reached at 740-295-3417 or llhayhur@coshoctontribune.com. Follow him on Twitter at @llhayhurst.

This article originally appeared on Coshocton Tribune: New, larger Goodwill growing customers and donations