Goodwill moves Sahara Avenue store down the road to much larger location

In an economic climate when many stores are slowly rebounding from red-ink territory, Goodwill of Southern Nevada stores are seeing a lot of patrons. They are enjoying such brisk business, the nonprofit says it plans to open 10 more stores in the next five years.

"The five-year plan is to do two stores a year," said Alyn Reeves, Goodwill of Southern Nevada chief operating officer. "We're really just seeing a need for it. I analyze our potential ---- I looked at demographics and population and different factors ---- and feel there's a need, the potential, for that many stores."

Meanwhile, it relocated one store to 4580 W. Sahara Ave., on the northeast corner of Decatur Boulevard, Oct. 5, replacing the one at 6344 W. Sahara Ave.

This day, Oct. 3, Goodwill was offering a storewide 50 percent off sale to close out the 6344 W. Sahara Ave. location. The 9,000-square-foot store had been in operation since November 1999.

Goodwill shoppers gave plenty of reasons for combing the aisles. Georganne Lee finds books and picture frames. She has grandchildren who are growing out of their clothes quickly, so she shops for them, too. And what does she do when those clothes have become too small?

"Then I turn around and donate them back," she said.

Larry Allan discovered Goodwill about a month ago. This day, his second visit, he found business suits that he estimated to be worth $500. He got them for $12 for each piece. He assessed clothes on the rack quickly, moving hanger after hanger to one side.

"You have to know how to hunt for them," he said.

Bill Atkins is an artist who finds "treasures," such as a large wooden picture frame he was carrying, at Goodwill. He said he planned to refurbish it.

"I like that the proceeds go to a worthy cause," he said.

Perhaps the most industrious shopper was Linda Curl, who tasks herself with searching for clothes, mostly jeans, in small sizes. Why? She packs as many of them as she can into a box and ships them off to family in the Philippines, where the jeans are resold for profit.

"I don't buy them at the mall," she said of the jeans. "You can find them so much cheaper here. And they're good brands, too."

At all Goodwill stores, customers never pay sales tax.

The relocation store at Sahara Avenue and Decatur Boulevard was previously a Walgreens that featured a drive-thru for picking up prescriptions. Now, it is used by residents dropping off donations.

"You don't even need to get out of the car," Reeves said. "We've done studies, and one of the main reasons people donate is convenience, as well as they like to support us because we support the local community with programs, as well as because it's convenient. If it's 100 degrees out, they don't have to get out of their air-conditioned car."

In the back, the new location has a loading dock where Goodwill trucks can pick up and deliver. The relocation meant hiring 12 more workers. So, why the three-mile move?

Reeves said it's a much better facility for parking and visibility. The new Sahara Goodwill Retail Store is 16,000 square feet with a 12,000-square-foot sales floor configured to hold 40 percent more stock than the previous location.

Moving to the new location was done as expeditiously as possible. The Oct. 3 storewide 50 percent off sale wiped out most of the merchandise at the old location. The doors were locked that night.

The transition the following day was mostly moving back-of-the house equipment ---- office furniture, computers and cash registers ---- to the store down the street.

The new location, already stocked with new merchandise, opened for business at 9 a.m. Oct. 5.

The new store's hours are from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. Drive-thru donation center hours are from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.

For more information, call 702-214-2066.

Another relocation is planned for the Goodwill store at 31 N. Nellis Blvd.

"We're moving, basically, across the street to a much bigger, and again, much better laid-out facility ... more than doubling our size there," Reeves said.

He said that move would take place in the first quarter of 2013. The two relocations are not considered part of the "10 stores in five years" plan, which officially began with the June opening of a new store at 9385 W. Flamingo Road.

Goodwill currently has nine full-size stores and a small store inside an Albertsons at Silverado Ranch Boulevard and Maryland Parkway, called Goodwill Select, which took over the spot where a bank had been.

For more information, visit sngoodwill.org.

Contact Summerlin/Summerlin South View reporter Jan Hogan at jhogan@viewnews.com or 702-387-2949.