Clothing from Goodwill. Jewelry from blue.
Ask me what my favorite season is and I’ll be sure to respond with one that might surprise you – garage sale season. And it is upon us! With the dawning of summer, it’s a sure sign that garage sale signs will soon pepper the corners of neighborhoods with promises of finding great treasures for less. But with spring and summer also comes rain – making shopping outdoors less than ideal. However, as Deborah, long-time Goodwill shopper points out, Goodwill is open rain or shine. Deborah’s love of thrift shopping began with visiting garage sales with her mom, but often she would drive to a sale only to find it was closed. Now she will travel to as many Goodwill stores as she can in a one-day outing instead, with no disappointment of the store being closed. She frequents the Northfield, Twinsburg, Streetsboro, Kent, Cuyahoga Falls and Waterloo stores most often. But she’s also recently visited the Akron blue boutique as well. She shops at Goodwill because she says it saves her a lot of money, and she loves the hunt to find something special. She says she can’t bring herself to shop at other retail stores because she’s able to find the same brands at Goodwill gently-used.
Goodwill spoils its customers and provides work experience to people
Deborah says Goodwill really spoils customers with coupons as well as a reward system – for every $100 spent customers receive a 35 percent coupon. She recently lost a lot of weight as well and received coupons for donating clothes that were too big, which she in turn used to purchase smaller sizes. There’s also an opportunity to ‘round up’ to an even dollar amount with every purchase to support the Elizabeth Clark Emergency Fund, a general emergency fund designed to address emergency needs of individuals and families in obtaining clothing, 
furniture and household items from Goodwill Akron’s stores. A win, Deborah says, for everyone. Goodwill even offers crafting classes for customers to enjoy. Deborah recently participated in a class where individuals learned how to make silverware wind chimes, which she thoroughly enjoyed.
Deborah appreciates the fact that Goodwill opens its doors to individuals with barriers and enjoys listening to the training classes taking place at the store while she shops. She’s comforted knowing she’s supporting an organization that educates and develops the workforce.
‘We are lucky to have Goodwill’
From offering name-brand items for less, rewarding customers with coupons, providing fun craft workshops, and creating an education-supported job environment, there’s nothing Deborah doesn’t appreciate about Goodwill. She sincerely hopes Goodwill continues to succeed, and for people to realize how lucky we are to have these stores. So the next time you have the itch to find some deals during my favorite ‘season,’ don’t forget about Goodwill. Even better….you will never need to take an umbrella with you while you shop!
~ Kim Rohr