Huge crowds await Goodwill's reopening in Coeur d'Alene

COEUR d’ALENE — If you were wondering whether people cared about Goodwill’s reopening after an eight-month closure for a remodel, you got your answer Monday. 

Some 50 people waited outside for the doors to be unlocked at 9 a.m. And after that, it was frenzy of shoppers filling carts as they went through aisle after aisle. 

At one point, the line just to reach the cash register and make purchases snaked down the middle of the store, around a turn, and then around yet another corner. Customers were still smiling, despite the wait.

“I thought I might as well fight the crowd,” said Joan Harrelson, who drove from Otis Orchards, Wash., for the much-anticipated event that included prizes and gift certificates. 

Harrelson liked the light, bright atmosphere and was particularly impressed with all the staffing on hand. She came away with good deals on clothes that sat in her cart. 

Others loaded up on toys, household goods and even art. 

“I like this,” Harrelson said. “This is fun.” 

Heather Alexander, vice president of marketing and communication, was pleased with the response to the store’s $3 million renovation.  

BWA Architects in Spokane designed the remodel project. Baker Construction and Development completed construction. 

The remodel included the addition of a Workforce & Family Services office, new truck docks, a covered donation drive-thru, outdoor break area for employees, remodeled retail sales floor and more restrooms. 

“We would have been a little disappointed had it not been this busy,” Alexander said. “To be closed for eight months was hard, so we’re excited to see everyone here today.” 

The new Workforce & Family Services office will be open a few hours a week, for now, as programs and staffing expand. Eventually, the office will offer two computers that community members can use to search for jobs, work on their resumes and access services they need. Until regular office hours are set, community members can call to connect with Goodwill service staff and schedule an appointment. 

Goodwill has been a part of the community for 36 years. The nonprofit opened its first Coeur d’Alene location on Sherman Avenue in July 1988. Five years later, it moved into the current Fourth Street location in March 1993, after buying it from Albertsons. 

Alexander said the remodel was worth the wait.

“It was a tired and well-used building,” she said. 

The makeover will meet the needs of customers, staff and program participants, Alexander said. Harrelson agreed. 

“They did a good job,” she said. 

    Goodwill staff line up to help customers on Monday.
  

    A line of shoppers waits to reach the cash registers at Goodwill on Monday.