NORTH MYRTLE BEACH -- On a humid Thursday morning, about 100 locals and tourists waited patiently outside a new Goodwill Industries store here, some getting a jumpstart on shopping by peering in the windows.
"Those jeans right there have my name on 'em," Loree Reeder, an Asheboro, N.C., resident who is moving to Myrtle Beach, said as she stood by the entrance looking in.
Forget the beach or Barefoot Landing. For some vacationers last week, the new Goodwill store was the place to be. Locals also swarmed to the store's debut at 3336 U.S. 17 South in the former Bi-Lo, lured by being the first to browse the aisles of donated clothes, housewares, shoes and more at bargain prices.
"We are just anxious," North Myrtle Beach resident Jill Yeager said as she waited for the new store's 10 a.m. grand opening. "We've been watching it while they've been getting it ready. I was so happy to have one here."
Judging by the eager crowd last week, it's hard to believe that just three years ago, Goodwill didn't even have a store along the Grand Strand. Goodwill, a not-for-profit that raises money through its bargain stores to help residents with disabilities and others needing work find jobs, opened its first two stores in the area on the same day in 2008 and have been aggressively expanding here since, with four stores and another under construction.
"There was a desire to come to the county, and do it in a hurry," said Rick Shelley, a Conway native who has worked for Goodwill for three years, currently as director for workforce development in the Grand Strand region.
The expansion is part of Goodwill Industries of Lower South Carolina's plan to boost the number of stores in the 18 counties it serves – there are a dozen stores in Charleston County – but it's also a sign of the tough economic times. Shoppers – hammered by stubbornly high jobless rates, a housing meltdown and ongoing instability in the overall economy – are hunting for bargains more than ever.
Goodwill sells gently used donated items for much less than new merchandise would cost. For example, handbags were going for $2.99, blouses for less than $4 and leather jackets for $14 on the North Myrtle Beach store's first day. The 26,000-square-foot store was filled with aisles of women's and men's clothing arranged by type of garment and color; shelves of books and racks of knick-knacks.
All types of thrift shops and discount chains have benefitted during the tough economy, including Dollar General – which also has been aggressively expanding along the Grand Strand in the past few years – and T.J. Maxx, which promotes discount prices for brand name items, said Rob Salvino, an economist at Coastal Carolina University.
"With the overall economy, it makes sense," he said. "All those have increased because of the fact we [were] in a recession, incomes are down, unemployment is up and access to credit is down."
Putting people to work
For Goodwill, demand for its job-related services jumps right along with the demand for items in its stores.
Revenues from the stores support Goodwill's mission of helping residents find work. Each area store – except the one in Conway – features a Job Link Center where residents can use computers to search for job openings and get input from experts on compiling a resume or cover letter.
The Job Link Center in the North Myrtle Beach store will open in a few months. Goodwill, aiming to offer more for job seekers or those who are underemployed during the ongoing double-digit unemployment rates, also is planning training sessions – Saturday computers classes are underway – and creating partnerships with area businesses to place or train prospective workers.
"We realized the tremendous need for our services," Shelley said.
About 330 people a month used the jobs centers in Little River and off U.S. 17 near S.C. 544 from January through August, he said.
A "retail university" is a new program that gives residents jobs in Goodwill stores for eight weeks and a structured curriculum to follow, with the goal getting those workers some experience and training for other retail jobs. The first four residents graduated from the program last month.
Knowing that the money Reeder spends in Goodwill stores goes to help people makes her bargain shopping even better, she said.
"We are Goodwill junkies," Reeder said. "I find stuff you can't buy anymore…and it's doing a service to the community putting people to work."
Goodwill employs about 185 people along the Grand Strand, half of whom have documented disabilities, Shelley said, adding that finding jobs for residents with disabilities is one of Goodwill's main goals. The new North Myrtle Beach store created 35 jobs, additional work that North Myrtle Beach Mayor Marilyn Hatley touted, along with Goodwill's deals.
"So many good things come from Goodwill," she said before cutting the ribbon on the new store Thursday. "We know they are going to be very, very successful because look at how many people are already here."
Goodwill's boosted presence doesn't bother Salvation Army, another charity that raises money to pay for its service through sales at its thrift stores. Salvation Army has four area stores; it recently closed the store in Myrtle Beach because the location on Kings Highway wasn't doing well but plans to reopen in a new Myrtle Beach location in six months, Capt. Susan McElroy said.
Shoppers will hit stores for both Goodwill and Salvation Army, much like yard sale shoppers hit several in one day because each offers something different, McElroy said. There's enough demand to support all of the stores, she said.
"There is a market for it," McElroy said. "We are positive that our stores will continue to increase sales so we can help more people.
"People are looking to buy second-hand if they can get a good deal. And they can help someone else while they do it."
Sales at Salvation Army's Horry County stores have stayed steady for the past few months, with a need for more donations, especially furniture that the charity will pick up, she said.
"People are holding onto things longer [because of the economy]. They don't have the luxury of replacing things right now," McElroy said.
'You never know what you'll find'
Construction is under way on Goodwill's fifth Grand Strand store, this one at 2164 Oakheart Road in Carolina Forest.
Goodwill also has stores in Conway, off U.S. 17 Bypass near S.C. 544 and in Little River, where North Myrtle Beach resident Cindy Phillips used to shop for clothes for her twins, 3-year-old Olivia and Jacob. But now she has one right around the corner from her house.
"This is more convenient," she said while waiting for the new North Myrtle Beach store to open. "We'll probably be in here once a week if not more."
The store in Carolina Forest is expected to open in the spring, Goodwill spokeswoman Erin Burnyeko said.
Goodwill has, in part, opened so many stores to meet the demand of such a large, spread-out county, Burnyeko said.
Marie Kerley of Winston-Salem, N.C., was glad to see Goodwill opening so many stores in Horry County – she had checked out several of them during her vacation here last week.
"They are all brand new stores. It's great," she said, pushing a basket with housewares in the North Myrtle Beach store last week. "I love a bargain. I don't shop the malls… We love it."
Judith Walker of Summersville, W.Va., is a loyal Goodwill shopper who hunts for the rare finds; she's scored a Vera Bradley purse, signed paintings and a valuable glass vase for next to nothing at Goodwill, she said.
"You just never know when you'll find a good deal," Walker said. "You never know what you might find at Goodwill."
