Le Mars Daily Sentinel: Story: Retro, old school, or... -
[Cached Version]
Published on: 12/7/2006
Last Visited: 12/14/2006
"I've finally found out the difference between 'old school' and 'retro,'" smiles Jan King, Goodwill Industries vice president of operations as she searches through the merchandise bin.
...
"People clean out their closets during the spring and the fall," King explains, "and that mean we have a surplus of stuff in the summer and around the holidays."
And just like their retail counterparts, customers at the Goodwill Thrift Store are on the hunt for a bargain.
"The typical Goodwill customer is the working class mom with small children, a budget, and a mortgage," King contends.
...
"The woman said she had been looking for a teapot like this for years," King continues, "because she had lost the original."
"It just goes to show ya," she suggests.
...
Although the Le Mars store has a wide selection of new and slightly-used garments, King says Goodwill merchandise knows no season.
"If you're looking for a nice short-sleeved shirt this time of the year, you aren't gonna find it in a traditional retail store," she observes."And if you're looking for a coat in summertime, you won't find one at Wal-Mart."
"Nobody can match our variety," King says, "and nobody can beat our prices."
Which makes the Goodwill a "must-visit" destination for holiday crafters.
"We have antique pieces of fabrics and one-of-a-kind jewelry," King suggests."They're beautiful and they're ideal items to repurpose.If you're stumped for ideas for Christmas gifts, the Goodwill will get your mind racing."
She also speculates that different genders gravitate towards different items at the Goodwill.
"Guys usually head over to the book section as soon as they come through the door," comments King."Their second destination: the cookies."
The women, she says, are much less predictable.
...
"We put out 11,500 new items a week," King contends.