Montrose will soon be home to a new Goodwill retail store and donation center, with the grand opening coming March 15.

Goodwill of Colorado plans to open a 13,000-square-foot retail store and donation center at 1601 Oxbow Drive, Ste. 320, the former home of Joann Fabrics. The nonprofit organization is investing about $550,000 to remodel the space.

Stephanie Bell, Brand & Buzz Manager for Goodwill of Colorado, said the Montrose community was a natural choice for expansion.

“We’re so grateful to be joining the Montrose community. We’ve had a lot of meetings with community leaders, with the county, with the health care system, to identify ways that we can collaborate and add value to the community – to fill gaps where there might be services the community could benefit from and where we might have expertise to be able to offer that,” Bell said in October 2024. “That portion of the state is an area of opportunity in terms of providing a great thrifting and donation location for folks in the community. We went in and looked at where we might fill a need in a community.”

Goodwill retail stores offer a variety of merchandise, including furniture, entertainment items, toys, clothing, and shoes.

“We want to provide a place where people can donate their gently used items they no longer need,” Bell said.

The new store will create 35-40 jobs, offering opportunities to people of all different ability levels.

Bell highlighted the shopping experience at Goodwill and the benefits it brings to the community.

“We’ve got incredible variety at all different price points for folks, no matter what they’re looking for,” she said. “It’s a wonderful and sustainable way to shop, where you’re keeping things in a circular economy, and that’s something that we’re seeing more and more emphasis on in the public dialogue.”

Goodwill of Colorado reported that in 2023, it diverted more than 200 million pounds of donated items from Colorado landfills by providing a space where communities can buy and donate used goods.

Beyond retail, Goodwill of Colorado provides services in communities that may be underserved. One such initiative is the AgrAbility Project, which partners with the Colorado State University Extension.

The program, funded in part by a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), provides education and services to farmers, ranchers, agricultural workers, and their families who have physical challenges, limitations, or disabilities.

Over the past five years, the AgrAbility Project has served 24 individuals and families in Montrose, Delta, and Mesa Counties. Goodwill plans to continue the program as it opens the new Montrose store.

The new store is in the early stages of remodeling the space in the Oxbow Shopping Center.

“We are on track to open on March 15,” Bell said.

The grand opening celebration will feature a ribbon-cutting event and special promotions. More details will be announced as the date approaches.

Justin Tubbs is the Montrose Business Times editor. He can be reached by email at justin@montrosebusinesstimes.com or by phone at 970-765-0915 or mobile at 254-246-2260.