Category: Goodwill Stores

Fall Fashion – Long Skirts Are Back

Among the psychedelic patterns and exotic looks unveiled at Fashion Week in New
York City, was an old comfortable standby. The long skirt. It made a comeback last
week on runways, but it never left the Goodwill Keystone Area stores.

“We usually have a large stock of all kinds of skirts”, said Phil Koch, manager of
Goodwill Keystone Area’s Bethlehem, PA store.

The long skirt never really goes out of fashion because it adds a hint of femininity to any woman’s look. Worn at any length from knee-cap to maxi, longer skirts can be accented with any variety of belts or scarves, or dressed up or dressed down with blouses or tee shirts, blazers or sweaters.

The three skirts shown below were all taken off the racks at a Goodwill store just last
weekend.

Worn with a long tunic shirt, chunky belt and ankle boots, this long skirt is the hot look for a night on the town.
Worn with a long tunic shirt, chunky belt and ankle boots, this long skirt is the hot look for a night on the town.
With a knotted tee and high strappy sandals, this corduroy skirt is perfect for those warmer days and chilly fall nights.
With a knotted tee and high strappy sandals, this corduroy skirt is perfect for those warmer days and chilly fall nights.
This long rayon skirt is appropriate business attire when worn with a cropped jacket, turtleneck and ankle boots.
This long rayon skirt is appropriate business attire when worn with a cropped jacket, turtleneck and ankle boots.

Goodwill Vintage Clothing Inspires Canine Couture

Guest Blog by  Annette Kaiser, Goodwill Keystone Area

You never know what you’ll find at Goodwill Keystone Area’s Tilghman Square store in Allentown, PA. Two regular customers at the gently used clothing racks are fashion designers Maribel and Jana Nieves, a mother-daughter team who own a studio called Bel Bijoux Couture in Allentown, Pennsylvania.

Bel Bijoux Couture
Maribel and Jana Nieves, a mother-daughter team, in their studio.

While their shop looks like any other design studio — with spools of brightly colored thread and coat trees draped with rich textures and fabrics — the design pages and patterns folded neatly in rows of hangers are in miniature. That’s because this couture isn’t designed for humans, it’s designed for their pets.

The Nieves specialize in one-of-a-kind pet coats and were recently featured on NAT GEO WILD’s “Spoiled Rotten Pets.”  Their  favorite place to shop for material is the Goodwill store in Allentown,  because the selections of vintage clothes and modern fashions spurs their imagination and gives them endless choices for fabrics, buttons and other accessories that go into their line.

“When we work with a customer, they tell us what colors and type of fabric they would like,” said Jana Nieves. “We go to Goodwill, browse all sorts of pieces from skirts to jackets, from coats and pants. Once we find something that meets the description, we’ll take a picture and send it to them. You never know what you will find at Goodwill.”

Dogs Modeling Custom Coats
These fashionable dogs had their custom outfits created from Goodwill finds.

Jana Nieves says she can design and create up to three pieces from one Goodwill garment.  Unlike the “sleepy” bolted fabrics found on the shelves of retail textile stores, “the pieces we find at Goodwill have a certain life to them that transform into beautiful pieces.”

For more information on Bel Bijoux Couture, visit t www.belbijouxcouture.com.  Custom coats start at $55 and are guaranteed to fit your life, your style and your pet.

Fashion is Never Finished at Goodwill

Style is How You Define It

One thing great about style is that trends ebb and flow, so what was once cool, may go out of style, but it tends to come back in style sometime in the future, reinvented, considered new. Fashion is never finished.

Goodwill Outfits for Less
Corinne found her style at the Goodwill Runway Show.

This is why thrift stores like Goodwill are so fantastic to frequent.  New donations come in every day, meaning many new chances for new styles. 

Why We Do What We Do

With the proceeds from these donations, people who need job training can receive it, people with disabilities can receive care and socialization they need and older, lower-income people who seek opportunities can find jobs that suit them. Goodwill is a nonprofit organization. We invest 84% of what we take in to help people with disabilities and other barriers to independence.

Some Like the Thrill of the Hunt

We organize our clothes by color, so if you know what colors suit you, which are your favorites, you can start there.  Like most stores, shirts and pants are racked together, but unlike most stores, they are all the same price.  Jeans are $6. Pants are $4. Shirts are $3.50. Tee-shirts are $1.50. And so on. With our new Rewards Card, you can save even more on select items.

You might even find that thrifting makes you a fashion trendsetter. Sometimes just choosing to wear clothes you love is all you need to be fashionable.

Leave Your Electronic Book Reader at Home

Get Your Hands on a Real Book for Less

Bestsellers at Goodwill
Hardbacks, trade paperbacks and children’s books are all available at Goodwill for less. From biographies to classics to thrillers, get it at Goodwill.

You might want to leave your Kindle or iPad at home when you go to the beach. Sand and electronics don’t mix. So buy a hardback or paperback for less at Goodwill. 

Whether your vacation spot is a backyard barbecue, a nearby beach or distant mountain, nothing beats a book you can open and read while you relax or when you are on vacation.

Our hardbacks are inexpensive and we have an ample supply of paperbacks,  juvenile and children’s books for even less.

Books at Goodwill
The Lightning Thief is a great book, which was made into a movie. So many Stephen King books have become movies. There’s even fitness books to be found just in time for summer.

Readers will always be able to find something to read at Goodwill.  Save your money and add to your summer reading list at any one of our Goodwill Keystone Area stores.

After Your Yard Sale, Think Goodwill

So everything didn’t sell at the yard sale, but you made some money and cleaned out the garage, basement and those over-stuffed closets.

Instead of putting what you didn’t sell at the curb, donate it to Goodwill. The last thing you want to do is re-store boxes of unsold stuff you no longer use and refill the space you just cleared. Declutter. Feel the freedom of letting go of your unneeded stuff.  Keep your gently used items out of landfills.

Next time you are out and about, donate them to Goodwill: store locations. Take those bags and boxes of stuff to a Goodwill store near you. Hundreds of donors give to Goodwill each week. You too can feel good knowing your things are going to a good cause.

Your donations help people in your community. Goodwill provides job training and runs programs for people with disabilities. The sale of donated merchandize helps create jobs and teaches new job skills to people who have barriers to employment. Goodwill accepts clothes, toys, glassware, household items, furniture (at most locations) and computers, but NOT TVs. For a list of what not to donate.

To fulfill its mission, Goodwill needs donations like yours. Don’t let your possession end up in a landfill.  When you are ready to declutter, go green and donate to Goodwill.

Lookin’ for a Come Up at a Thrift Shop? Shop at Goodwill

 

Topping the Charts, Popping Some Tags with a 20-Dollar Bill

Most of you have probably heard the song “Thrift Shop” by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, which mentions Goodwill. It was shot in part at a Seattle Goodwill Outlet. We think it’s cool that something we have known about for a long time – thrift shopping is fun and saves you cash – is mainstream.

We appreciate Macklemore and Ryan Lewis telling the world that thrifting is cool. Who wants to pay $50 for a T-shirt? Our customers are proud to find low-priced items that suit their style and they show off their new outfits, shoes and purses to their friends on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. They are proud #ThriftShop and #Goodwill enthusiasts. They decorate their home with items found at Goodwill.

Be Proud of Your Thrift Shop Purchase

Goodwill Keystone Area

Styling like Macklemore outside a Goodwill thrift shop.

If you only have $20 in your pocket, and need an outfit (or two), that $20 goes much further at Goodwill than any other retail store. AND, like Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, you will have fun stuntin’ in them.

Think like Macklemore and go to Goodwill. Fill your closet with come ups for less. Mother’s or grandpa’s clothes could fit your style perfectly.  Be it geek chic, retro, or en vogue, going to a thrift shop could make your day.

Thrift Shop
At Goodwill, the hat, the jacket, the shirt, for $20.

Through your generous donations and your purchases, Goodwill funds job training programs and helps people with disabilities or other employment challenges live a full and productive life. Your thrift shop purchases and donations create jobs and opportunities.

#1 Steelers Fan Ron Kratofil, Goodwill President and CEO Wears…a Romo Jersey?

Ron Kratofil, Goodwill Keystone Area’s  President and CEO and #1 Pittsburgh Steelers fan, was a really great sport when he entered the Goodwill store meeting this morning donning a Tony Romo Dallas Cowboys jersey! Ron Enters Arm First Cowboys 1-15-13 He reluctantly entered.

Not only did he have to show off his jersey to all the store managers, my camera was there AND a local TV station showed up to cover the event. How will he ever live this down?

Ron Cowboys 1-15-13 He was supported by a could of terrible towels wavers, but the reason he had to wear the attire of his least favorite team was due to Goodwill employee voting. To support the employee giving campaign that culminated in December, employees who donated were able to vote – no matter what they gave – for the team jersey they thought Ron should wear all day.Ron Cowboys #1

Goodwill Employees Give Back

The campaign took in the highest total in its history, $25,600 for Goodwill’s mission to help people with disabilities and other barriers to employment.  As a nonprofit, Goodwill relies on cash donations as well all donations of stuff that it sells in its stores to help fund job training and community skills classes that help people in local communities.  Goodwill Keystone Area serves a 22-county area in south central and southeastern PA.

Don’t Sweat it – Inexpensive Workout Clothes at Goodwill

Lose 15 in 2013

Let’s face it, most of us feel like we need to lose 15 pounds. Eating better is part of the equation, but exercise is another. To exercise, you need workout gear.

Workout Clothes for Less

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Brand name running jackets at Goodwill at 4880 Carlisle Pike in Hampden Township, Cumberland County.

Can you ever have enough workout clothes? We don’t workout in our work clothes. We don’t workout in the clothes we go to the mall in. We workout in what I like to call “grungies.” We sweat in them over and over until they are too grungy to even go to the gym in. Then we buy brand new workout clothes and start all over.

Sweat It Up at Thrift Store Prices at Goodwill

Why pay premium prices for workout clothes at a sports store? Why shell out hard-earned cash at a high-end retail store gear when you’re just going to get them really sweaty? Goodwill always has a huge variety of quality tee-shirts, sweatshirts, sweatpants and running clothes. Brand names too. I’ve even found the original tags on some of the clothes. They may have been gifted, but never worn.
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Enjoy the Fruits of Your Workout

The money you save on workout clothes can be used to buy fruits and veggies! When you get smaller and your clothes get bigger, look on the Goodwill clothes racks for an outfit that is a size smaller.  When you decide never to go back to those ‘mom’ jeans, consider donating unneeded clothes to Goodwill!

Things to Do to Beat the Winter Doldrums

  • Get outside during the winter. Just being outside makes you feel healthier.
  • No matter the temperature, go for a walk, run or play a sport.
  • Download a workout app if you own a smartphone and keep track of the calories you burn.
  • A mile walked at a decent pace takes about 15 minutes and burns off about 100 calories.

Go Green. Recycle Your Old Computer at Goodwill.

Go Green. Recycle Your Old Computer at Goodwill.

New Recycling Act in Effect Jan. 24

As of January 24, 2013, Pennsylvania will be requiring all computers and televisions to be recycled under the Covered Device Recycling Act. These items will no longer be picked up curbside with regular trash. Many waste haulers are already instituting the policy to start the year.

Goodwill Does Not Accept Donated TVs

Since March  2012, Goodwill Keystone Area has no longer accepts donated TVs. We do recycle any brand of laptops and desktop computers, monitors, printers, mice, cords and other computer accessories, whether they are in operating condition or not. We also accept donated consumer electronics that are in working condition. If you donate a computer, be sure to transfer or erase any personal information you may need from the hard drive.

We Do Accept Computers! Goodwill’s Dell Reconnect Program. imagesCALRY2F1

Go green by donating a computer or computer accessory to Goodwill, enabling it to be recycled properly. Goodwill recycles computers through a program called Dell Reconnect. This ensures that no computers take up valuable landfill space and that heavy metals are disposed of properly so they don’t contaminate the environment, damage soil or pollute watersheds.

If you are donating a computer monitor, laptop or scanner and the glass is damaged, please place it in a plastic-lined cardboard box when dropping it off. For information on the computer components and peripherals accepted, check here: http://www.dell.com/learn/us/en/uscorp1/corp-comm/items-reconnect. Donors can assign a value to the computers they donate for tax write-off purposes.

Dispose of TVs at County Recycling Centers

To properly dispose of and recycle televisions or nonworking electronics, we recommend you contact your county recycling center. For addresses, go here: http://bit.ly/Rx6gNN

 

Having Trouble Figuring Out Where to Put it All?

Donate the old so you have room for the new

Many people received a bounty of new things over the holidays.  Are you asking yourself where to store it all? Are your cabinets and drawers, closets and shelves already brimming? If so, clutter sometimes needs to go. You don’t need to fill the spare room, basement or attic with storage overflow. Donate those bags and boxes of stuff.

Do your community good

The things you no longer need may be just what others are looking for. Donate them to Goodwill. Your donations fuel our mission. Our stores fund job training for people with disabilities or other barriers to independence.

Remember donating in December means tax deductions in 2013

December 31 is the deadline to ensure your end-of-year donation is a tax write-off for the 2012 tax year. If itemizing, be sure to ask for a receipt.  We can’t place a value of your donations, only you can.  But here is a link to guidelines on how to value donated items. http://www.goodwill.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/Donation_Valuation_Guide.pdf

Unfortunately, there are some items we cannot take. Here is a list of what we can’t take, including certain infant items, which are often recalled: https://www.yourgoodwill.org/donation/what_not_to_donate.php