Business & Tech

Goodwill to Open New Store in Lemont

Village officials confirmed Friday that a retail and donation center will open in the former Sears Harware location in August.

Goodwill Industries of Metropolitan Chicago will open a retail and donation center in later this year, village and company officials confirmed.

The 21,000-square-foot store is tentatively scheduled to open in mid-August in the former  location at 1146 State St., said Cheryl Lightholder, spokesperson for Goodwill.

"We're very excited to open a new store in Lemont, and continue our growth plan in the Chicago area," Lightholder said.

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Village Administrator Ben Wehmeier confirmed Friday that representatives from Goodwill recently dropped off building plans and have been approved for all appropriate permits.

Goodwill stores sell previously donated items such as clothing, kitchen accessories and more. According to Lightholder, the garden center in the former Sears will be turned into a donation center for residents to drop off used items.

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"One of the things that we're interested in is providing high-quality products at a great value, but we also promote responsible recycling of household textiles," she said.

Goodwill currently has 46 stores—26 in Illinois and 20 in Wisconsin. Lightholder said she is confident the Lemont location will be "a great addition" to the growing company. 

"It's important to look for locations that will support donations, and we think the Lemont community will certainly do that," she said. "We also look at locations where we can provide an easy, convenient way for people in that area to shop."

According to Goodwill's website, 84 percent of revenue from all retail centers go toward the company's mission of providing training, employment and supportive services for people with disabilities or disadvantages.

Lightholder said the company hires an average of 45 employees for retail stores and donation centers. Job information will become available later this summer, she said.

Goodwill's announcement comes just six months after the . The store had been open since 1996.

The village expects to have a couple of other new business announcements during its board meeting Monday night, Wehmeier said.


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