GOODWILL INDUSTRIES IS SAN DIEGO'S OLDEST THRIFT STORE

    Goodwill Industries of San Diego is the second largest and certainly one of the most successful charitable organizations in town. With over 485 employees, 221 of whom are disabled or handicapped, the local Goodwill is part of the fourth largest nonprofit organization in the United States (according to a 1987 FORTUNE MAGAZINE article). Mike Rowan, longtime CEO of San Diego’s Goodwill Industries, reported in 1993 that sales totalled $4 million with 1992 expenses totalling $2.5 million. Total revenue for 2003 has tripled since 1993, earning Goodwill close to $15 million; however, expenses nearly equaled that amount, totalling around $13.5 million. Rowan emphasizes that the organization uses donations (clothing, housewares, books, lots more) perhaps more efficiently than many organizations who do not have to legally disclose their financial status. "We do not solicit cash donations from the public," he says. "We simply recycle things that others no longer need or want and turn them into revenue through our retail stores to fund programs that get people jobs."   

    Even though Goodwill’s success is evident, it hasn’t always been that easy. According to Myron Insko, D.D., who wrote The First Thirty Years Are The Hardest--A History of Goodwill Industries of San Diego County, Goodwill had an inauspicious beginning. "We began in 1930 with a debt of more than $3,000," Insko reported. "During those thirty years, approximately $4 million was paid in wages. At the end of 1959, there were 223 persons on payroll and the net worth was shown by the auditors as $319,915. The growth of Goodwill)..was an indication of the manner in which the people of San Diego County responded to the Goodwill program of ‘not charity but a chance.’"

    After a 1928 survey concluded that "San Diego (had) no consistent plan for the salvage of clothing, furniture and other goods that are discarded and could be reclaimed," Goodwill rented a building at 16th and Imperial and opened the store to the public in 1929. Yet, at Goodwill’s third quarter Director’s Meeting, Insko reported that "conditions are very discouraging. Bills, bills, bills. The price of baled magazines dropped from $9 to $7 per ton; newspapers... sell for $3 a ton. During August, after paying... wages... we... forgot the balance of the (Executive's salary) and started the next month fresh." During the mid-30's, Goodwill began its long upward climb toward continual success. In 1934, Goodwill was offered a building at 5th and J Streets rent-free. At that time, annual sales averaged around $22,053. According to Insko "1934 was a great year..." The following year Goodwill purchased the building at 402 Fifth Avenue for $15,000 and chose Escondido as "the location for our first branch outside the City of San Diego." In 1936, two adjoining lots adjacent to the 5th Avenue site were purchased for $780. In 1939, after a decade in San Diego, Goodwill Industries reported $316,788 in income and $322,004 in expenses.

     Perhaps because of Goodwill’s early involvement in salvage (one of the slogans printed on Goodwill’s trucks stated "Think! Goodwill Creates JOBS From Waste and Keeps MEN OFF (the) DOLE."), the organization acquired a reputation of helping the poor. And while employing poor men and women is indeed helping those individuals, Goodwill’s primary mission is "to assure the employability of people with disabilities and other barriers to employment." Goodwill provides job training and employment services as well as job placement opportunities for people with mental, emotional, developmental and physical disabilities (on a limited basis), including anyone in the community who is seeking a job or a better job.

     Although Goodwill is no longer in the salvage business (tons of magazines or newspapers are no longer accepted), Goodwill has recycled tons of these materials over the years. In fact, in 1945 the organization proudly assisted the war effort by shipping over four tons of books and magazines to Red Cross and USO sites for transfer to our troops in the Pacific. Today Goodwill operates sixteen trucks which are used to transport goods from remote donation sites to their retail stores. In 2003, an astounding 14,527,890 pounds of goods was sold by Goodwill through retail, wholesale and salvage sales. In 1992, pickups from various sites--in addition to goods donated at store and home locations--totalled 111,537 pickups (the 1947 figure was a mere 38,205). And, where Goodwill averaged only 26,696 visitors in 1930, with a 1992 customer count of approximately 500,000, Goodwill had over 1 million retail store transactions in 2003!

      Locally, Goodwill operates nine stores and the San Ysidro auction site (three stores rolled into one). Although the organization has had a longtime boutique at 16th and Broadway downtown, it is now closed. Instead, every store will have a boutique section -- something Second Hand News has encouraged -- plus Goodwill’s online "specialty store" on ebay. Goodwill closed the El Cajon store in July of 2003 and Tierrasanta in September of 2002, due to insufficient sales. Future plans include opening one store annually providing the right kind of properties can be located. Goodwill is also in the process of developing a five-year strategic plan which will affect expansion and other policies. One thing is evident, however. Goodwill takes great pride in financial accountability and its seventy-five year history. U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT noted that Goodwill is "the nation’s largest nonprofit provider of employment training for the disabled and poor, placing (hundreds of thousands) of job seekers...in positions ranging from computer programmers to bank tellers to hospitality workers." 

     CEO Mike Rowan stated that Goodwill’s efforts will continue to concentrate on job training and entry level jobs that are in demand in the local area. "All of our efforts are directed towards getting people jobs. Work is a very powerful thing and for those who have never been given the opportunity to earn a living, the simple act of being paid for work literally transforms individuals who just happen to have a disability into more motivated men and women. We are grateful for the seventy-five years San Diegans have supported Goodwill through their donations and their purchases in our stores--we couldn’t do any of this without that support." For more information about Goodwill Industries' thrift stores and its overall operation, visit http://www.sdgoodwill.org