SIKESTON - Goodwill is opening of a new Sikeston store serving Scott and New Madrid counties.
The store located at 214 N. Main St., will open with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 9:45 a.m. March 16 with opening celebrations continuing through March 18. Dignitaries at the opening ceremony include Lew Chartock, president and CEO of MERS/Goodwill, city officials and representatives from the Sikeston Chamber of Commerce who will preside over the ribbon cutting.
"This store marks the first of a series of openings for us in Southern Missouri within the year," said Chartock. "We felt that the area would be supportive of a shop offering great merchandise at very reasonable prices. We already provide job placement services in Sikeston which helps build a stronger community. Proceeds from the store will help fund these programs, better enabling us to better serve the tri-county area."
Grand opening festivities will continue through the weekend with hourly drawings for prizes and a raffle for three color televisions.
Gateway Baseball Academy founders and former SEMO baseball players Darin Kinsolving and Phil Warren will offer free baseball hitting lessons and signing autographs from 10 to 1 p.m. March 18. Kinsolving is currently in his seventh year as a professional player and Warren works for the Gateway Grizzlies as director of youth programs.
Radio personalities from KLSC-Star 92.9 FM and the KBXB-B 97.9 FM will be on hand broadcasting live from the store and offering promotional items. Star 92.9 will broadcast from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. March 16 and B97.9 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. March 17.
But the main attraction is the merchandise, Goodwill officials said. Goodwill stores restock several times daily and bargain seekers enjoy that they can come often to find all kinds of clothing and household goods.
The Goodwill organization hopes to attract both first time and returning customers to the store.
"Many of the customers who loved shopping at our other stores will find the convenience of this location terrific for both shopping and dropping off their donations," said Lisa Davis, regional vice president. "Lots of folks like to go from store to store because each one has one-of-a-kind items and half the fun is discovering something special and unexpected."
MERS/Goodwill is a non-profit agency that provides opportunities for individuals who have barriers to employment to work and live more independently in the community. It operates 19 rehabilitation centers serving more than 9,200 people from 50 counties in the bi-state region. Revenues from 34 Goodwill stores assist with funding MERS/Goodwill job training and employment services.
For information regarding store openings, locations or vocational services contact Jolie Boeger at 314/241-3464 or visit the Website www.mersgoodwill.org.
Store hours for the new Sikeston store will be 10 a.m. -- 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday.