Goodwill of Middle Georgia and the CSRA is opening the 18^th retail training store in its 35-county region. The grand opening for the newest Augusta location (1050 Walton Way) is Thursday, February 8. The store doors will open to the public immediately after a ribbon cutting ceremony hosted by the Augusta Metro Chamber of Commerce at 9 a.m.   

Hours of operation for donating and shopping will be Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Customers will experience shopping with a greater purpose in Goodwill’s new over 6,700-square-foot retail showroom housed within a 11,000-square-foot space, with an ever-changing inventory of over 20,000 items and accessories, including a selection of new and gently-used scrubs. 

“The Central Savannah River Area has been our home since 1996, and we are excited to now have a retail training store in Augusta’s bustling Medical District,” said James K. Stiff, President of Goodwill of Middle Georgia & the CSRA. “Community support is what powers our mission, and we are grateful for the support Augusta has shown us over the years.”

Retail training stores are a primary source of funding for Goodwill’s nonprofit mission to build lives, families and communities one career at a time. Eighty-six cents of every dollar spent at a Goodwill of Middle Georgia and the CSRA store funds training, education, career counseling and employment assistance for people facing barriers to employment in our communities. 

Rachel Smith, the manager of the new Walton Way retail store, is an example of how Goodwill makes a positive impact not just on a community level, but individual lives as well. Smith was living at the Salvation Army with her kids when she connected with Goodwill to find employment. A series of health issues and surgeries kept her out of work, and she’d lost her home. She needed — and discovered — a long-term solution for her family at Goodwill.

“I began my Goodwill career at the donation drop off at the Peach Orchard location,” Smith remembered. “I progressed and grew in my responsibilities over the years and eventually became manager of the Wrightsboro Road retail store. The people I’ve met through Goodwill helped me let go of self-doubt and provided not just the opportunities but encouragement to believe in myself.”

The Walton Way location is also home to the New Lives mural painted on the Walton Way facing exterior by students and faculty from Davidson Fine Arts Magnet School. It’s a reminder to the community that Goodwill is where your things start new lives. The mural features faces of individuals who have been empowered by Goodwill’s career development programs, as well as Helms College (www.helms.edu). The retail store and the mural are part of an overall ongoing revitalization of this area of Augusta. A dedication ceremony for the mural is on Friday, February 2, at 11:30 a.m.