In the Osceola Village on Dyer Boulevard Friday morning, there was a celebration that wasn't just about reaching the end of the week.
But it was a TGIF indeed for Goodwill Industries of Central Florida, who held a grand opening and ribbon cutting for its new, second Kissimmee retail and donation location, just south of Osceola Parkway. It's in the site of a former outlet store.
Before the ribbon cutting, the store was open for an hour, and shoppers were pushing carts down aisles and aisles of clothing racks, shoes, housewares and more. Shoppers were walking out with unique art pieces -- a tribute to Elvis Pressley was a joyous find for one shopper.
The (huuuuuge!) store has created about 65 jobs, which is at the core of what Goodwill does -- it uses the revenue from the donations it collects for its job placement and vocational training programs. Company officials say the Osceola Village store is still hiring.
Ed Durkee, CEO of Goodwill Industries of Central Florida, said parents were still shopping for back to school items this week.
"This is near and dear to my heart; we get to do this," he said, pointing to the newly-hired associates who were part of Friday's festivities. "This is primary reason Goodwill exists. These people played such a big role in getting this store open."
