Where do you go if you want to find twin cowboy outfits, a reversible 80s style ski-jacket, and a red corduroy blazer? These are all items currently in the possession of first year Erik Lyon, and they all came from Goodwill.
“I’ve worn a jacket that I’ve gotten at Goodwill to two of my High School Winter Formals…and a Goodwill Tie,” Lyon said. “Since things are cheaper there, you can buy things you wouldn’t normally buy. You can go out on a limb.”
First-year Simi Singh shops at Goodwill because she feels that the store is in concordance with the vibe of Whitman College.
“I feel like Goodwill is keeping up with the recycled style that’s in right now,” she said. “The majority of the clothes I’ve bought have been from the men’s section because it always has racks of flannel, which for Whitman is a necessity. And the whole androgynous dressing is really in right now.”
Sophomore Anna Sky said, “There are a lot of things [at Goodwill] that, because they’re cheap, I’ll try them out and make them work. If I had to pay more money, I probably wouldn’t have given them a second glance.”
In 2008, Sky decided to go for a whole year without buying clothes that weren’t second-hand, the exception being socks and underwear.
“My idea behind it was not that I didn’t want to spend money, but that I didn’t want to contribute to this idea of just buying something and then disposing of it later,” she said. “I wanted to be part of the reusing process.”
Sky said she supports Goodwill because it discourages consumerism, but also because it hires people who otherwise might not find work.
A sign inside the store reads, “The mission of Goodwill Industries of the Columbia is to provide services that help people with disabilities and disadvantaging conditions achieve their highest level of employment.”
Local Goodwill store manager Holli Davis said that although all employees make close to minimum wage, the job is very rewarding because of what it does for the community.
The seven stores in the Industries of Columbia are 100 percent non-profit, with all proceeds going into employment. Davis says their store has hired ex-prisoners, people who got hurt in their old jobs and don’t have alternate skills, moms on welfare and people who have disabilities.
“Someone with disabilities may not even know how to tear tickets, and to see them within two or three weeks being able to do it by themselves –– or to have someone with cerebral palsy utilizing their hands well enough to get their job done –– it’s just very rewarding,” Davis said. “We had a client who didn’t speak, and now he’s saying names. It’s amazing to watch people change.”
Currently, the local Goodwill helps sponsor the Walla Walla Balloon Festival so that it can remain free to the public. It also sponsors the Mac-High Pioneer Softball team, so that all members can have team apparel no matter their financial situation.
“We try to help out with events that put a good face to Goodwill. As our sales grow, the more we will be able to do for the community,” Davis said.
Whether shopping at Goodwill for fun, practicality or to support its mission, it is never possible to know exactly how the visit will turn out.
“It’s a treasure hunt. And that’s much more fun than going someplace and knowing exactly what you’ll find,” said Sky.
