Goodwill was founded in 1902 by Boston Minister, Reverend Edgar J. Helms. He took donations from wealthy Bostonians and hired people who were poor and who could fix the items. The items were then given to the people who worked on them or were resold. Goodwill's philosophy is "a hand up, not a hand out". Today Goodwill has become a $5 billion nonprofit organization that provides job training, employment, and community programs for people who have disabilities that might prevent them from getting a job on their own. They are also keeping millions of pounds of items out of landfills every year.
I have noticed that Goodwill has started to carry new items and is looking less like a thrift store and more like a discount chain. It has been quite some time since I purchased something at Goodwill. If something is really outstanding they pull it and sell it online. I find I prefer the Goodwill outlet stores where you can still find interesting things but you may have to do endure a shoving match to get to them. Still the thrill of the hunt of is always burning and I generally will stop if I pass a Goodwill, as was the case with this visit.
As soon as I stepped in the door I was wowed. This was the nicest smelling Goodwill I have ever been in. It was spotless and very organized. It was also was very large and had a ton of clothes. If you are into clothes, you would be very happy here. They didn't have any of the vintage things I gravitate to so I didn't linger. Kudos to them though for keeping the store top notch. read more