Goodwill of the Heartland prepares to open first outlet store, holds hiring event

With the paint — green for “the money they will be saving” — on the walls and signs hung, what used to be a manufacturing site for Klein Tools is nearing its transition to Goodwill of the Heartland’s first outlet store.

“We’re getting close,” said Goodwill of the Heartland spokesman Brent Watkins.

The outlet store, located at 8200 Sixth St. SW in Cedar Rapids, is expected to open in July, Watkins said.

Unlike a standard Goodwill store, the outlet will have unsorted products, often in bulk, in large, blue bins that Goodwill calls “boats” for customers to look through.

“No two boats are going to be the same,” Watkins said. “There are going to be some real treasures to be found here because they are unsorted. You’ll never know what you find.”

Watkins said shoppers will see “extreme value” because of the $1.49 price per pound of products.

Goodwill of the Heartland will host a hiring event from 5 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 16 at its new headquarters, which also is at 8200 Sixth St. SW, to recruit employees to fill the store.

“Finding willing workers is a very important step in opening the outlet,” Watkins said.

Watkins said walk-ins are accepted although attendees also can schedule a time to come.

The organization is hoping to fill 12 positions for the outlet store and 10 to 15 at various stores in the Corridor.

Other companies hiring too

Goodwill of the Heartland is far from the only one to hold hiring fairs around the Corridor.

Casey’s General Stores, for example, planned to hire 5,000 employees on its “Here for Good” Hiring Day last month across its nearly 2,300 locations. Kwik Star recently opened a hiring office in Iowa City ahead of opening a new store in December.

The Eastern Iowa Airport, the City of Cedar Rapids and QPS Employment Group are among the many places in the Corridor to have held job fairs since the beginning of May.

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