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Good to Go.By Elia SealyGoodwill Industries – Impressively Hip!We get the lowdown on how Goodwill makes it good to shop.The economy sucks—we all know it. Nomatter the spin politicians and positive thinkerstry to put on it, Oregonians are hoeingthe hard ol’ row. But some businesses arethriving despite it all. Impressive numbers:2009 revenue of $99.5 million bucks, wagesand benefits paid to the tune of $41.1 million,three new stores open, and millions ofpounds of inventory moved. We’re not talkingNike here folks, but Goodwill—specificallyGoodwill Industries of the Columbia Willamette(GICW). Before you jump in with theold “it’s not ethical for charities to make somuch money” saw, take note that .92 cents ofevery dollar earned by GICW goes toward themission of the company: to help those withbarriers to employment find and retain work.There was a time when thrift stores werejust for folks down on their luck, places tounload the unwanted surplus of life, or justplain grotty little shops filled with junk noone could possibly want. Times have changed,and the aforementioned economy and theaesthetic of “reduce, reuse, recycle” has madethrift hip, green, and the smart choice formost consumers. Walk into the new WarrentonGoodwill and you’ll be greeted by friendlylocal staff, a plethora of usable items attractivelyarranged, and a shiny new building.“You look at the store; nothing’s tatty, stuff isbrand new still,” enthused one browsing customer.And the stock in the store is sustainedby the larger community, not full of importedstuff from Portland. “You are big donors herein Clatsop County,” exclaims GICW public relationsrep Dale Emanuel. “The donation siteat the Warrenton Fred Meyer gets as manydonations as the store. We’ll be putting in anattended donation site in Seaside soon as well.It’s an economically hard hit county, but agiving one too.”GICW is an “A” rated charity and employs2,000 people, 2/3 of whom have some kindof barrier to employment. That could be aperson with little English, just out of a correctionalfacility, developmentally disabled,a person who has never worked before,or a pregnant teen. Beyond the employeesthat actually work for the company, the JobConnections program served 27,000 folks,Judi Tuinstra, Lead in textiles, came from Portland as seasoned Goodwill staff. However, she assists inmanaging over 30 locally hired employees at the Warrenton Store.and placed 6,107 people into communityemployment (2009). This program is availableat the Warrenton store, and is available toanyone who is having a hard time entering orre-entering the job market. “We help you withyour resume, give you leads. You have to putyourself out there, but the program helps youdo it,” explains Emanuel. GICW also offers ESLtraining, and long-term career enhancementservices.And all this goodwill is sustained bydonations from the local communities GICWserves.Shop ‘til you dropEmanuel is excited to share shoppingstrategies to help consumers get the most outof their expedition to Goodwill. The top thingsthat we buy are readily available in quantity atmost Goodwill stores: clothing, shoes, books,CDs & DVDs, housewares and electronics, andfurniture. “When you need something in thesecategories, come here first.” Best times toshop are Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday sincemost donations come on the weekend. Seasonchanges and three-day weekends are anothertime to find the best selection of stock. Lookingfor that perfect sectional or dining roomtable? Wait ‘til the end of the month, whenyour neighbors have retired to Florida and unloadedtheir furniture at the local Goodwill.Many stores have a “flavor,” althoughthe Warrenton store hasn’t been open longenough for specific themes to develop (for example,10th Ave. boutique in PDX is the placeto snag those Prada boots for hundreds lessthan retail), the steady donations keep thestock flowing. Items are moved through in a3-5 week rotation, with 6000-7000 articles aday changing over in the Warrenton location.The store is literally different every day. EverySunday half the clothing goes to half price.“Thrift does go on sale,” laughs Emanuel.Should one week be particularly low on, say,housewares, the cavernous back room of thestore holds 500-700 lb boxes full of stockfill-in.In fact, the inner workings of the moderatelysized Warrenton store are eye-popping.Donations pour in on one side, and workersdo what they are able, from sorting clothes,matching shoes, tagging furniture, and evenbaling clothes. Clothing that doesn’t sell aremoved into an area to await squishing ina specially designed machine that pressestextile materials into 1,000 lb bales. Want toreally get a sense of how much stuff there ismay11 hipfishmonthly.com10
in the world? Visit the backroomof your local Goodwill.But it’s all good; “GICW isthe leader among all storesfor recycling,” enthusesEmanuel. “We lead in donations,retail sales, andamount kept out of landfills.I mean, our Goodwills herein the Columbia Willametteregion are the best in theworld.” Where does all thatsquished up textile goodnessgo? Sold to salvagers andsent to third world countries.Non-textile items are sold forsalvage too. Another way forGoodwill Shopping TipsTiming is EverythingBest time of year to shopDecember thru mid February – at the end of the yeareveryone is looking for a tax write-off and it is also thetime of year that Goodwill gets some of its most valuabledonations.Just after Labor Day - when a high volume of donationscome in.When summer turns to fall - another time of year whena high volume of donations come in.Best days of the week to shopGoodwill gets most of its donations on the weekends,which means the best days to shop are Sunday, Mondayand TuesdayBest days of the month to find furnitureMost people move into new places at the beginning ofthe month, so Goodwill gets the most furniture at theend of the month.Best selectionGoodwill gets lots of everything. But for the highest yearlong selection -- the top five types of donations below areplentiful.ClothingHousewaresBooks, CDs and DVDsElectronicsShoesHit the Right Store: If you are looking for somethingin particular, one store may be better than another. Toreach the manager of your nearby Goodwill, go to www.meetgoodwill.org and click on store locator. Here are someexamples:FINE JEWELRY - Forest Grove Store, 2903 Pacific Ave,Forest Grove, OR 97116APPAREL - Broadway Store,1231 NE Broadway, Portland,OR, 97232BOOKS (59,000)/ HOUSEWARES - The Portland Superstore,1943 SE 6th Ave, Portland, OR, 97214APPAREL - Bend Store, 61315 S. Hwy 97, Bend, OR97702SHOES - Hillsboro Store, 966 S.E. Oak Street, Hillsboro,OR 97123FURNITURE - San Rafael Store, 1640 NE 122nd Ave,Portland, OR 97230BOOKS - Salem Store, 3535 Lancaster Drive NE, Salem,OR 97305DESIGNER APPAREL - Goodwill on Tenth, 838 SW 10thAve, Portland, OR 97205FURNITURE - Fisher’s Landing Store, 1200 SE 162ndAve., Vancouver, WA 98683LINEN - McMinnville Store, 1371 NE Hwy 99 W, McMinnville,OR 97128BOOKS – Vancouver Store, 6425 NE Fourth Plain, Vancouver,WA 98661Photos:Dinah UrellLorne Mundo, Store Donation Attendant, keeps very busy. Anaverage of 50 donations generated from the local region pullinto the donation station daily.GICW to make money toward their mission, and to keepstuff out of the ground.No matter how good you got it, get to Goodwill wherethe getting, and giving, is always good.North Coasters have two otherGoodwill shopping options, in additionto the Warrenton store:www.shopgoodwill.com: the best, weirdest, rarest,and most collectible items that are received nationwidego for sale on this site that functions similar toebay. Prices begin at $5 and sell for an average highof $27.www.goodwillbooks.com: Portland based, thisthousands-title strong site lists between 3500 and4000 items a day. To stock the store, the Portlandwarehouse goes through 15-20 half-ton boxes a day.(GICW gets more book donations than any otherGoodwill system). State of the art software continuouslymonitors sales of books all over the internet,insuring that goodwillbooks.com won’t be undersold.Packaging is green and if you are going to bein Town you can pick up your order at the Hillsborolocation.Goodwill mission: GICW’s mission is to providevocational opportunities to people with barriersto employment. Their retail program has two purposes:to integrate people with barriers to employmentinto their workforce and to generate fundingfor vocational programs.Goodwill stores/regions are run autonomouslywith a board of directors and CEO. Although theysubscribe to the same mission, all have their ownlevel of success and prosperity. The GICW is theleader in the US for good practice and management.You can shop Goodwill in Canada and places likeVenezuela, Trinidad & Tobago, and Mexico. Internationalélan!Lots of "New" Old BooksPO Box 1096244 North SpruceCannon Beach, OR 97110(503) 436-0549PROPRIETORSJennifer & Watt ChildressAPPRENTICESRoan & Willa ChildressE-mail: jupiter@pacifier.comWeb: www.jupiterbooks.comTime for Tim.Tim Liddiard for Port Commission Position #3a voice for all the citizens of clatsop countypaid for by friends to elect tim11 may11 hipfishmonthly.com
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Page 29 and 30: eating the coastTo Market!By Elia S
Page 32: Astoria’s 44thScandinavianMidsumm

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