Goodwill breaks ground for new Le Mars store

Well-wishers attended the groundbreaking Thursday with the Le Mars Area Chamber of Commerce for the new Goodwill store to be built on Holton Drive east of Wal-Mart to expand the display and donation areas to 9,500 square feet. (Sentinel photo by Becky Hagan) [Click to enlarge]

Citing the need for more room to prepare and display clothing and furniture items, Goodwill Industries of Sioux City broke ground yesterday on a brand new 9,500 sq. ft. store across from Wal-Mart. The store is expected to open in January of 2005.

Jan King, vice president of operations for Goodwill, reports that the Le Mars store will have the same floorplan and general contractor as the new stores in Mason City, Spencer and Yankton. Goodwill has 16 retail stores, serving clients in Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota and Nebraska. Current store manager Bonnie Connor will stay on to run the new store.

This is the second expansion for Goodwill in Le Mars in the past seven years. The current store expanded in its current location by taking over adjoining space. "Le Mars has been very good for us," King commented. "Residents make high quality donations and folks from as far away as Sioux City travel to Le Mars to shop."

The Le Mars store will have a lit donation area and more room for used furniture, two things that have been needed, according to King. "People wishing to donate good used furniture and clothing should make their donations during business hours if they want to ensure that their donations go to the store," King commented, citing the high percentage of theft from donation boxes after hours.

The store will be stocked and opened within two days of completion with the help of workers from other stores. The new store will have room for 300,000 rack items.

Goodwill Industries uses the proceeds from the sale of items in the stores to underwrite a wide variety of charitable programs from Thanksgiving dinner for the homeless to the shoe party for area children in December.