Goodwill Art Works with studio, retail store opening March 24 in Lambertville
March 24 is the grand opening of the local Goodwill's newest endeavor. It's the first Goodwill Art Works center in Monroe County, but there are two art centers in Lenawee County.
Learn about the new center and Goodwill Industries of Southeast Michigan's other local offerings, which include donation centers, training centers and Michigan's first Goodwill Bookstore.
Housed in a former Goodwill retail store at 7300 Secor Road, Suite 4, Art Works is an art studio and also a retail shop, where participants' work is sold.
Like all Goodwill programs, Art Works aims to provide "life-changing opportunities for individuals facing barriers," the organization said.
'Most of the items for sale in the studio are made by Goodwill participants. 85 percent commission for most of the sales goes to the Art Works participants,' said Rebecca Molina, Goodwill Industries of Southeast Michigan's mission engagement manager.
Art Works' hours will be 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturdays. The open house is set for 5-7 p.m. March 24.
'The grand opening plan is to provide tours of the Art Works and Mission Services spaces, network, provide light refreshments and shop,' Molina said.
Art Works has several dedicated spaces.
'The Art Works studio is a nice size. We have six workspaces, five featured artist areas, four communal artist areas and 'Dip a Brush Fundraising Art Installation' that the public can participate in. We also feature a dry-erase coloring wall and some pretty fun art installations," Molina said.
There's also a make-and-take bar inside the center.
'Customers can create their own sand wax candles for purchase," Molina said.
Lambertville Art Works participants also will sell their creations at Adrian Center for the Arts. Goodwill participants also can take part in hands-on workshops and learn business and employment skills at the art center.
'We see this program as a fun and engaging way for participants to interact with the community, build self-confidence and express themselves," Molina said. "This is a referral-based work program for entrepreneurs, artists and crafters. If someone is interested in joining Art Works, they need to reach out to a Community Mental Health or Michigan Rehabilitation Services caseworker."
Lambertville's Art Works is based on similar programs in Michigan.
'When we were building our program, we partnered with MRC Art Works in Kalamazoo for guidance and inspiration. Recently, Goodwill of North East Texas visited our Art Works in Adrian and Tecumseh to observe and learn from our program to start a Goodwill Art Works program there," Molina said.
The Lambertville Training Center in the same building as Art Works, currently serves 14 participants. The training center works closely with the Monroe Community Mental Health Authority, Michigan Rehabilitation Services and the Monroe County Intermediate School District. External employers provide employment through Goodwill. Beth McCary is the local workforce development director.
Two years ago, Goodwill Industries of Southeast Michigan opened a bookstore at 8167 Lewis Ave. in Temperance.
Previous Coverage: Goodwill's first Michigan bookstore opening March 3 in Temperance
Molina believes it's still the only Goodwill Bookstore in the state.
'We have had many other Goodwills visit, with the hope of opening their own bookstore in their region," Molina said. "We get people from all over the country to visit. Many of the regulars are teachers, parents, resellers, retirees and children. We partner with Great Start Monroe and the Monroe County Intermediate School District for their Read Across America events every March. We put on Book-A-Palooza in August; this is a fun, family-focused event featuring crafts, games, entertainment and back-to-school readiness.'
Youth books and fiction are the store's best-sellers.
'We have thousands in our inventory and update daily. The genres are vast: kids, fiction, non-fiction, educational, religious, science fiction, romance, young adult, history, art, entertainment, cookbooks. Many popular authors can be found on the shelves regularly,' Molina said.
But, the bookstore sells more than books.
"There is an area for Art Works artists to showcase and sell their work in the bookstore. Recently, we began incorporating some items that are related to books and the spaces we enjoy reading: For example, Harry Potter fan items, teacups, stuffed animal characters from books, etc.," Molina said.
Bookstore hours are 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Mondays through Sundays. Book donations are accepted.
'Our whole store is donation-based. We have a donation center located at the bookstore that accepts all items, not just books," Molina said.
Two years ago, the Lambertville Goodwill Retail Store, 7381 Secor Road, went from 4,000 square feet to 24,000 square feet. It sells a variety of items.
"We are happy to say that the store continues to grow. We are grateful for the community that supports our mission: to provide exceptional opportunities to people facing barriers," Molina said.
Like the bookstore, the retail store accepts donations.
"We still rotate the shelves daily and do our best to be good stewards with what has been given to us. We focus on customer service and clean, organized stores," Molina said.
Retail Store and Donation Center, Dundee Marketplace, 119 Waterstradt Commerce Drive, Dundee
Monroe Retail Store and Donation Center, 255 N. Telegraph Road, Monroe
Monroe Training Center, 251 N. Telegraph Road, Monroe
'Our Monroe Training Center had a renovation last year, and is just an incredible space where our participants can gather, socialize, learn various soft and hard skills that enrich their lives," Molina said. "We have a calendar providing options for activities, outings, community service and more. We partner with many businesses in Monroe for job skills training and support, like Walgreens, ProMedica Monroe Regional Hospital, Habitat Re-Store and more." The Monroe Training Center currently serves 75 participants.
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Goodwill Headquarters and Donation Center, 1357 Division Street, Adrian. This location offers shred services, e-waste recycling, cardboard recycling and salvage services
Adrian Art Works, 136 E. Maumee Street, Suite 15, Adrian
Tecumseh Art Works and Donation Center, 1207 W. Chicago Blvd., Tecumseh
Retail Store and Donation Center, 1400 U.S. Highway 223, Adrian
Retail Store and Donation Center, 423 E. Michigan Ave., Saline
Goodwill services offered in Lenawee County are:
Club Goodwill, a service that places individuals with barriers into jobs
Refurbishing, a program that teaches furniture refurbishing skills
Youth Start, which works with vulnerable youth
For more information about Goodwill Industries of Southeast Michigan, visit goodwillsemi.org or email Rebecca Molina at rmolina@goodwillsemi.org. For more information about the Lambertville Training Center, email Tracy Setzler at tsetzler@goodwillsemi.org.
— Contact reporter Suzanne Nolan Wisler at swisler@monroenews.com.
This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Goodwill expanding in south county with Art Works studio, retail store
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