Goodwill Superstore Opens In Wesley Chapel

Goodwill-Suncoast has opened the Tampa Bay region's sixth Goodwill Superstore since 2001 at Cypress Creek on State Road 56 near Interstate 75.

The 25,000-square-foot store, located at 2390 Willow Oak Dr., employs 45 people and opened for business on Saturday, Feb. 6. It's the fourth Goodwill Superstore to open in the Tampa Bay region in the past three years, joining Oldsmar, St. Petersburg and Spring Hill.

All were designed by Tampa architectural firm Lyman Davidson Dooley Inc. and built by Hawkins Construction of Tarpon Springs. The development was handled by the Sembler Company of St. Petersburg.

The Cypress Creek superstore, like all of Goodwill-Suncoast's 15 retail centers and three outlet centers across its 10-county area, offers bargain prices on donated items, as well as new and nearly new products. The building also is fitted with a drive-through donation lane.

The bright, contemporary design is meant to help Goodwill-Suncoast compete with effectively with other retailers. Goodwill-Suncoast experienced a 5.5 percent increase in same-store sales in 2009, as compared to 2008.

The new store also will serve as the Pasco County headquarters for BookWorks, Goodwill's early childhood literacy program. Retail revenue from the sale of items at the stores helps support other Goodwill programs, which includes employment services for people with disabilities.

Writer: Carter Gaddis
Source: Michael Ann Harvey, Goodwill-Suncoast


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Carter Gaddis is a freelance writer and graduate of the University of South Florida (BA, mass communications). He covered sports for the Tampa Tribune for 16 years, including four years on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and eight years on the Tampa Bay Rays beat. He publishes the parenting and social commentary blog, DadScribe, and is a contributing writer for the TODAY Show. He lives in Lutz with his wife and two sons. Carter can be found on Twitter @DadScribe.