Steven M. Grazier | The Independent
Published 5:09 a.m. ET Sept. 7, 2022
PERRY TWP. – Goodwill is preparing to launch its seventh store in Stark County, and doors will be open to thrift shoppers later this week.
Goodwill’s new store is slated to open at 9 a.m. Friday in the Perry Town Center, 5139 Tuscarawas St. W, within combined space previously occupied by Clean Eatz, Great Clips,The UPS Store and Anytime Fitness.
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Clean Eatz and Great Clips have transitioned to another building within the plaza closer to Tuscarawas Street.
The new Goodwill kicks off Friday morning with a ribbon-cutting ceremony, followed a special prize giveaway to the first 100 people in the door, according to Maureen Ater, vice president of marketing and development for Goodwill Industries of Greater Cleveland andEast Central Ohio.
Ater touted the new store’s larger size and improved parking area as reasons for relocating from the now closed store at 4510 Tuscarawas St. W, which was across the road from FishersFoods.
“This move is exciting. Thrift shopping is becoming more popular now, especially with a lot of prices going up,” Ater said. “Young people and college kids are getting more involved, too.”
Goodwill will be plaza neighbors with Marc’s and Aldi, and the business will be positioned just north of AMF Hall of Fame Lanes. The new store has about 10,000 square feet of retail space, nearly 2,000 more than the previous Perry store.
“Perry has been a great neighbor to us with great shopping donors and customer base,” Ater said. “We didn’t have to test the market here. It was already a great area.”
Two dozen employees will be assigned to the new Goodwill shop.
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The Perry store will feature a new “Goodwill Select” display adjacent to the checkout counters. The display will feature higher end merchandise, such as jewelry, purses and shoes, Ater said.
In addition, the new store will have a “Wired-Up” center, in which donated computers, gaming systems, cellphones and tablets will be refurbished and resold.
Jacob Laboy is a Goodwill worker who will lead the “Wired-Up” team.
“We’ll clean and test (these devices), fix what we can, erase any data and resell affordable stuff to people,” Laboy said.
Items typically offered at Goodwill stores include men’s, women’s and children’s clothing, appliances, cookware sets, bicycles, furniture, glassware and holiday décor.
Goodwill also carries merchandise like shoes, socks, headphones and phone chargers, giving folks a chance to purchase multiple items in a single spot.
The store and drive-thru, drop-off center will be open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday throughSaturday. Sunday hours run from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Reach Steven at steven.grazier@indeonline.com. On Twitter: @sgrazierINDE