Goodwill is Committed to Eagledale-LSA Market


(posted Jan 26)

Goodwill Industries of Central Indiana has always been committed to the Eagledale Lafayette Square Area (LSA). The commitment is evident with the opening of a new relocation store at 4420 Lafayette Road on January 29. Vice-President of Marketing Cindy Graham said it has never been a question for Goodwill not to remain in the area. Graham was referring to questions as to why they decided to relocate the store in the LSA market.

Despite Wal-Mart's opening and the soon to open Garden Ridge, some people question the market's stability after Simon Property Group sold Lafayette Square Mall to Ashkenazy Acquisitions Corp. in December.

However, the market was giving favorable signs to Graham five days before the store's grand opening. Graham had to turn away three customers within ten minutes while being interviewed by this news reporter.

Goodwill has had a retail presence in the area since 1973 when it opened a store in Eagledale Plaza Shopping Center. The store has relocated several times, always looking for a bigger and better location to the serve the market. The10,000 square foot store located at 4004 Georgetown Road will close its doors January 26 and reopen 48 hours later in the 16,909 square foot store filled with furniture, pictures, books, clothing and more. Another drawing factor to the new location is improved customer parking.

Graham explained the profits from the retail stores benefit the community by helping with job employment and training. She said the store's walls include portraits of people that have found employment and skills because of Goodwill. The portraits re-enforce the message that customers are helping people just by shopping. Goodwill Industries of Central Indiana had $3 million in sales transactions in 2007. Goodwill expects to have 43 shopping locations by 2008

She said Goodwill started in Boston in 1902 when Methodist Minister Dr. Edgar Helms knocked on the doors of the wealthy asking for donated items. The donated items were repaired by workers that were deemed unemployable elsewhere. Goodwill eventually came to Indianapolis during the depression, located at Fletcher Place United Methodist Church. She emphasized that Goodwill is no longer in the repair business. The retail stores now have their own drop off centers to collect and sort donations. She said each store is able to move 3,000 pieces of items daily so she warned customers to buy it now because it is unlikely it will be there the following day. Graham can speak about the shopping experience, noting that she likes to shop at Goodwill.

Goodwill is able to offer low prices because they are always looking for ways to improve sorting efficiencies to move the merchandise out to the retail floor as soon as possible.

Keeping the stores filled with inventory is critical to the success of financing the employment and job training program. She said a new transportation warehouse is currently being built that includes an attached 13,000 square foot outlet store on 8431 Georgetown Road. The warehouses serves as backup to deliver inventory if donations drop at retail stores. The outlet stores function as the last chance to cycle merchandise through for final sale. The outlet stores receive the remainder of inventory that does not sell at the regular retail stores after four weeks.

Marketing concepts differs at the outlet stores. Sale items are in bins that are cycled around the store on a timer. Nothing is sorted. Toys and clothing are all in one bin. She said many people like to shop at the outlet stores for the adventure too. Quilters are often drawn to the outlet stores because they are looking for apparel to create quilting blocks. Quilters can accumulate quite a mound of potential quilt scraps at bargain prices. A person can buy 50 lbs of clothing for 59 cents.

Graham said the remaining merchandise is either destined for overseas to recycling markets or the trash.