Goodwill of South Central Wisconsin opened a new store in the heart of downtown Madison on 651 State St.
Tuesday. The new store is taking the place of the old Fuddrucker's restaurant, which closed in June 2007.
With a line out the door at noon on Tuesday, the store was already generating positive feedback not only from the general public, but from the student population as well.
We had a very good reception,"" said Kathy Mannlein, director of retail for Goodwill Industries of South Central Wisconsin. ""When word got out that we would be coming to State Street ... the reception was very positive.""
Debbie Hong, a UW-Madison senior, agreed.
""It's nice to finally get the option to shop at a Goodwill store. Beforehand it was only Ragstock,"" she said.
The mission of Goodwill Industries is to help underprivileged members of society overcome certain obstacles, such as finding a decent job, to become productive, positive-minded citizens.
The revenue produced from the Goodwill retail stores directly funds this mission.
""It is always our goal to select a new location where we can generate revenue,"" Mannlein said. ""State Street has long been an interest of location. We wanted more selective, trendy clothing for a younger audience.""
Mannlein said she is confident the store will be able to hold its own on State Street, especially with its handpicked staff.
""[The staff] is customer service through and through ... and will bend over backwards to help customers,"" she said. ""We want shoppers to find exclusively the style they're looking for.""
UW-Madison freshman Peggy Crain compared it to some of upscale retail stores in the downtown area.
""I think it's interesting to come in and look at a wide array of stuff. A lot of the boutiques have similar stuff,"" Crain said while shopping Tuesday.
With such a wide audience to cater to, Mannlein said the store should not have problems getting product donations.
