Big changes on way for Goodwill locations

Bradenton’s Goodwill scene will undergo several changes during the next month.

On Friday, the retail store at 5512 Manatee Ave. W. will close for an approximately month-long renovation. When it reopens, the 13,000-square-foot location will be a bookstore and art store. A manager at the store confirmed Wednesday that the store’s stock of clothing, furnishings and other goods will be distributed to other area Goodwill locations.

In mid-April, Goodwill Manasota will open a new store at 3465 Cortez Road W. The store is under construction with some details still pending, Goodwill spokeswoman Sharon Kunkel said in an email, so the company has not set an official opening date. The store will have more than 19,000 square feet of retail space, 11,300 square feet of production space and a community room for local organizations and groups to use.

The Goodwill Clearance Center at 5138 Cortez Road W. will remain open.

“It will be a typical retail store, with clothes, home goods, furniture,” Kunkel said.

Because Goodwill Manasota now has dedicated bookstores, books are no longer typical inventory at Goodwill Manasota’s retail stores. The closest Goodwill Manasota bookstores are located at 7200 55th Ave. E. in Bradenton and 5831 Derek Ave. in Sarasota.

After the Manatee Avenue location finishes its renovation and the new Cortez Road West store opens, Goodwill Manasota will have 11 retail locations and four bookstores open between Bradenton and North Port. Goodwill Manasota also operates 19 donation centers, two clearance centers and two bargain barns in the area.

For hours and details on Goodwill retail stores, donation centers, clearance centers, bookstores and bargain barns, visit experiencegoodwill.org/main/locations. Goodwill Manasota also offers services for veterans and job seekers.

Goodwill Manasota is a nonprofit organization that was established in 1995, according to Florida corporate records.

Goodwill operates on a “not a hand out, but a hand up” mentality and was founded in Boston in 1902 by Rev. Edgar J. Helms, according to the Goodwill Manasota website.

This story was originally published March 29, 2017 at 2:52 PM with the headline "Big changes on way for Goodwill locations."