Goodwill Manasota is preparing for the opening of its newest retail location, located at 8750 State Road 70 East in Lakewood Ranch. To be called “Ranch Lake,” this location will have the immediate impact of creating 50 new jobs and a direct annual economic impact of nearly $2 million to the community after its grand opening on Thursday, March 19 at 9:00am. With the largest retail sales floor to date, at 22,800 square feet, the 49,434 square-foot building was designed by Randall Paul Sample, Architect and KAD Engineering, and renovated by Storie Construction. It showcases an epoxy floor with eco-friendly LED lights. The store exhibits larger-than-life graphics and a clean and vibrant color scheme. For the grand opening, the sales floor will be filled with approximately 31,000 pieces of clothing. The Ranch Lake location will include a Community Room, an Attended Donation Center drive-through, and a Job Connection office, which provides free, one-on-one job placement services for job seekers and employers and assists individuals with applications, resumes and interviews. The retail store will also feature a boutique section and will debut the “Tech Connection Powered by G” area, which will house computers, gaming systems and accessories, turntables, vinyl, speakers and other components. The refurbished computer program began as a pilot program in 2014. Goodwill became a licensed Microsoft Registered Refurbisher and all computers are installed with the Microsoft Digital Literacy Program, which helps improve basic computer skills. Goodwill Manasota projects annual customer numbers at the store will reach approximately 220,000.

Goodwill Manasota