Photo courtesy of Alabama Goodwill Industries.
Alabama Goodwill will occupy the former Big Lots space in Brook Highland Plaza. The store will feature a donation drive-thru for drop-offs along with an in-person shopping experience.
Alabama Goodwill Industries is opening another shopping and donation center in the Birmingham area in the Brook Highland Plaza. The first location is located on Green Springs Highway in Homewood, and now AGI will have an option for shoppers on the U.S. 280 corridor.
Located in the former Big Lots space, the store will feature a donation drive-thru for drop-offs along with an in-person shopping experience. The store and donation drive-thru spot is 30,000 square feet, and the sales floor is about 13,500 square feet.
“All of our stores are filled with fresh items every single day thanks to the generous support of our donors,” said Katie Hannah, director of marketing and fund development for AGI.
“Every visit for a shopper to our locations is an adventure. You will see something brand new anytime you walk in. That's what makes our store so exciting to visit and why our shoppers are loyal and supportive missions but never know what they’re going to find.”
President and CEO David Wells said when they began looking in the area for a storefront, the Brook Highland location was one of the first spaces available that met their needs and could fuel the continued growth of our programs.
“The surrounding community has really stepped up for our mission at our Attended Donation Center at Tattersall Park,” Wells said. “Our donors have been excellent, and they have been asking when we are going to build a store in the area.”
When the store opens, Hannah said, it will be fully stocked with items from their donation centers.
“Those donation centers fill the stores, and that way as donors become aware of our store locations accepting donations, it helps fill up the inventory. That makes our donation sites so important as well.”
Those who want to donate items can do so without even leaving their car. There will be a donation drive-thru where donors will be greeted within seconds of their arrival. Attendants will assist taking their items
and providing a tax-deductible receipt. Hannah said the process is quick, easy and convenient for donors.
Wells said the need for AGI’s job training services in this area is immense, and their growth is driven by community support and commitment to resourcing these needs.
“We’re thrilled that our newest sites will allow both residential and commuting individuals to have a more convenient way to help our neighbors in need,” Wells said. “Our donors and shoppers are the heartbeat of our organization.”
AGI’s mission is to help individuals enter or reenter the workforce through job creation, free skills training, work-based learning and digital literacy curriculums.
Hannah said their goal is to provide job training and other resources to provide their employees with stability and the power of work.
“We strongly believe that one of our core values is giving a hand up and not a handout, so our mission is to not only bring people into direct employment in our stores and donation centers, but also to provide services through our missions department,” she said. “We refer people into full-time and part-time jobs that are going to get them to that self-sufficient place in life.”
Revenue from the stores supports not only the salary and benefits for the employees but also AGI’s mission services. They provide external services in the community through their reset program, student exploration program and several other training opportunities.
The Brook Highland store, located at 5287 U.S. 280, Suite 233, will employ 27 employees and will be open 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sundays.
A grand opening is planned for Jan. 6, but donations will be accepted beginning the week after Christmas.
“We are just excited to be in the community and expand in Birmingham,” Hannah said. “We see so much opportunity to serve more individuals in our area, and so this store, its donors and shoppers who support it, will make that happen. We are thrilled to get to show donors and shoppers the impact making on our community, and we can't wait to meet everybody and let them experience our mission and our stores.”
For more information, visit Alabamagoodwill.org.
