Goodwill of Colorado’s 43rd retail thrift store is on its way to the Falcon area on the outskirts of Colorado Springs.

The nonprofit humanitarian organization has finalized a $2.25 million purchase of a 3.67-acre parcel at the Falcon Marketplace shopping center, northwest of Woodmen and Meridian roads in unincorporated Falcon, according to El Paso County land records.

“It’s exciting to expand our reach and operations for the sake of our shoppers, as well as our donors and those who we are able to assist through the revenues generated with these stores,” said Goodwill of Colorado spokesman Bradd Hafer.

The Colorado Springs-headquartered organization accepts donations of clothing and household goods such as furniture and kitchenware from the public and resells the merchandise at discount prices in its thrift stores.

More than 90% of sales funds education, job training and employment placement for 125,000 Coloradans annually who have economic and developmental challenges, Hafer said.

“Shoppers, donors, businesses and community partners all seem to appreciate and recognize the value of saving money on shopping and the value of helping transform lives in Colorado,” he said.

Goodwill bought the property from Falcon Marketplace developer Evergreen Devco, which has offices in Arizona, California, Colorado and Utah. The real estate company has several projects in the Colorado Springs area; it developed a King Soopers-anchored retail center at Marksheffel Road and Constitution Avenue and has launched development of a similar King Soopers-anchored shopping center in Fountain. The company also razed the Sears store at the Chapel Hills Mall on Colorado Springs’ north side and built an apartment complex on the site.

Construction is expected to begin in April, Hafer said, and by year’s end a 23,000-square-foot Goodwill thrift store and donation center is scheduled to open on the property. Goodwill also will construct an adjacent 15,000-square-foot building that it will lease to a yet unnamed tenant.

The project cost is still being determined, Hafer said.

The new thrift shop joins Falcon Marketplace’s anchor, King Soopers, which will open Jan. 24.

Falcon has become home to fast-food and fast-casual restaurant chains such as Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers, McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Arby’s, Panda Express and Slim Chickens, along with retailers such as Safeway, Walmart and Walgreens.

All have expanded to Falcon over the last several decades, following thousands of rooftops that were built in Woodmen Hills, Meridian Ranch and other nearby neighborhoods.

The new location will be the eighth Goodwill outlet in El Paso County; the last newly built store opened in 2015 in Monument, Hafer said.

The Falcon project has been more than a decade in the making.

“We are thoughtful and very deliberate in planning for these kinds of openings, making sure they’re in sustainable areas that are really sought after for the kind of merchandise we provide and have people who not only shop at and donate to Goodwill but also support our mission and purpose,” Hafer said. “A lot of people support us because we target individuals in need.”

To test the market, Goodwill set up an attended donation center in Falcon for several years, and it became the busiest stand-alone donation center in the region, he said.

“Since exploring the opening of a Goodwill store in Falcon, we’ve received frequent feedback from the community expressing their great excitement and strong support,” Hafer said.

Goodwill thrift shops differ from other retailers in that they rely on donations of goods from the community to fuel sales and operations. Thrift shopping has been strong both during the pandemic and post-pandemic, Hafer said, as people search for bargains amid the rising costs of inflation.

Both sales and donation volumes have remained strong, according to Hafer, with items such as housewares, shoes and electronics always in demand.

“Our shopper base has remained loyal; part of that is the economic challenges people are facing and want to get the most value for their dollar,” Hafer said.

Goodwill chapters across Colorado merged in 2019 into a consolidated organization and many stores since have undergone remodeling, expansions and relocating to new facilities. The Boulder Goodwill store relocated last year and the store in Parker relocated in 2020, for example. 

Gazette reporter Rich Laden contributed to this article.

Goodwill of Colorado has finalized the purchase of 3.67 acres at the Falcon Marketplace shopping center, where the state’s 43rd traditional Goodwill thrift shop will open by year’s end. (Debbie Kelley/The Gazette)

A new traditional Goodwill thrift store will be built on land northwest of Meridian and Woodmen Roads in unincorporated Falcon by year’s end. (Debbie Kelley/The Gazette)