Dear readers,

Would you like to shop at four different Goodwill stores in one day? Now you can!  Join us for the second annual Goodwill Bus Tour on Saturday, May 8 at 8 am.  The tour starts at the new South Portland Goodwill store, heads to Augusta, Rockland, Topsham, and then returns to South Portland in the early evening.

Join us for a great day of shopping, raffles, and “tour only” dressing rooms and check out lines. We will even ship large items to your local Goodwill store. It’s a great opportunity to meet other Goodwill shoppers, learn about Goodwill’s mission, and find some fabulous deals!  Here are some of our tour-goers from last year!

The tour costs $45 and we encourage everyone to bring a bagged lunch.  For more information and to sign up, please contact Tour Busters at (207) 781-8896.

Dear readers,

Two days!  On Friday, March 26, Goodwill will be opening its new flagship store and donation center in South Portland, Maine.  And you are invited!

Join us for a ribbon cutting ceremony at 9 am.  Celebration activities door prizes every half hour from 9am-2pm, and drawings for gift cards to Goodwill and local restaurants.

The new South Portland store is located at 555 Maine Mall Road, in the former Circuit City building.  Shoppers will enjoy a newly renovated building that features a convenient donation drive-thru and information about Goodwill’s programs and services.  The new store also accepts used computer equipment through the ReConnect computer recycling program.  Goodwill recycled 1,613,000 pounds of computers in 2009.

The building is 27,000 square feet, with 16,000 square feet dedicated to retail sales.  The remaining square footage will be used for donations processing, offices, and space for the agency’s Good Clean program, the commercial cleaning arm of Goodwill that is committed to customizing its services to meet and exceed the needs of each building it maintains.  Goodwill uses Good Clean to maintain all its retail stores and offers Goodwill employees the chance to learn new skills needed to succeed in work and life.

See pictures, RSVP, and more on our Facebook page.

Dear readers,

I am excited to announce that the Grand Opening of the new Goodwill store and donation center in Ellsworth, Maine, is set for Friday, November 20.  Doors open at 9 am and the morning and early afternoon will be filled with prizes, raffle drawings, and a special guest appearance by the Goodwill mascot (see below!)

The new Goodwill store is located at 15 Downeast Highway (near the intersection of Routes 1 and 3 and on the spot of the old Dave Gould Ford dealership).  The newly-constructed building features a convenient donation drive-through.  The new store also accepts used computers and parts through the ReConnect computer recycling program.

The store was constructed with several environmentally-friendly features, including an energy-efficient HVAC system, updated flooring, and “green” windows to offset energy consumption.  The building is also engineered for Energy Star compliance, which means Goodwill will be able to apply for Energy Star status after one year of operation.

Goodwill is new in the Ellsworth community and we are excited to open our doors there – for more information, please visit our Facebook page!

A few weeks ago, we announced the Thrift Store Petition started by the Thrifty Chicks blog.  Since then, they have received quite a bit of national attention.  More and more people are signing up to express their support of thrift store shopping.  What’s the fuss all about?  Check out the following stories:

Thrify Chicks on MSN Money

Thrift Store Shopping as Renewable Energy

Opinion Piece in the Christian Sciece Monitor

Shopping Golightly on NBC

Don’t forget to sign the petiion on Facebook and if you would like to promote the petition on your blog, let us know, and we’ll send you the badge.  The Thrifty Chicks and their partner blogs (including us!) are working to bring attention the many social, economic, and environmental benefits of thrift store shopping.  Won’t you join the cause?

The Thrifty Chicks have started a petition to create a National Thrift Store Month and bring attention to the economic and environmental benefits of shopping in thrift stores. As they state on their blog, “This is poetic shopping. Buy a repurposed item and the profits go to repurposing a life!”

They are working to educate and recruit people to the cause. Join the Petition for National Thrift Store Month on Facebook by clicking on the image above (you can also find a direct link on our blog right beneath the blogroll). Spread the word and recruit your friends, family, and co-workers! We need to work together to gain a national momentum!

Reminder: Top Five Reasons to Shop Thrift Stores

1.Thrift store shopping is green! It gives a second life to goods and keeps usable goods out of the landfill.

2. From Thrifty Chicks: “Thrifting is economical and can knock thousands of dollars off an annual budget without knocking the quality of many products.”

3. Thrift store shopping often supports non-profits that offer a variety of services for individuals. At Goodwill, revenue from our stores helps to fund our job training programs and support services. That is purposeful shopping!

4. Thrift store shopping allows you to create a style all your own. There is nothing more satisfying than finding original and one-of-a-kind items that speaks to your personal aesthetic.

5. Thrift store shopping is a lesson in history. Looking through the racks and shelves of thrift stores, we find clothing, pictures, art, home goods, and unique items that speak to the material culture of the past.