BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — A new Goodwill store and donation center planned for Crestwood Boulevard is poised to tap into Birmingham’s growing community of thrift shoppers, from neighborhood families hunting bargains to younger residents who see secondhand style as part of their identity.
Alabama Goodwill Industries is renovating the former Roses Express space at 7517 Crestwood Blvd., in the Village East Shopping Center across from the Amazon fulfillment center, with an opening targeted for mid- to late March. The site will be branded as Goodwill Irondale and will include both retail and a donation drop-off, adding another option along a corridor that has seen thrift and discount stores come and go over the years.
For Goodwill, the new store is about more than racks of clothing and shelves of housewares. Revenue from donated goods helps pay for job training, career coaching and other services aimed at people with barriers to employment, such as limited work histories or disabilities. In 2020, Alabama Goodwill reported more than 9,500 GoodwillU classes and over 8,100 digital literacy sessions, along with hundreds of people hired or receiving job-readiness training at no cost.
The organization’s model dates to 1902, when Methodist minister Edgar J. Helms began collecting used clothing and household items in Boston, hiring people in poverty to repair and resell them under the banner of “a hand up, not a hand out.” Alabama Goodwill’s roots stretch back nearly a century, to a wood-chopping workshop founded in 1927, followed in the 1940s by some of Birmingham’s earliest thrift outlets, including a shop downtown at 2204 Second Ave. North. Over time, the nonprofit added appliance repair, furniture refurbishment and greenhouse gardening, eventually opening a headquarters and flagship thrift store on Green Springs Highway in the 1980s.
That long history is intersecting with a newer cultural wave. National research shows that Generation Z and millennials are driving a boom in secondhand shopping, with many citing affordability, sustainability and the thrill of unique finds. One 2024 analysis found that 83% of Gen Z buyers have purchased or are interested in secondhand clothing, and a majority say they look for used items before buying new. Other surveys indicate thrift shoppers, across age groups, are motivated by saving money, reducing waste and scoring vintage or one-of-a-kind pieces.
In Birmingham, that national trend has played out in packed racks at neighborhood thrift stores and Goodwill locations, even as some longtime resale shops have closed or consolidated. Social media and resale apps have helped popularize “thrifting” among younger shoppers, who share their Goodwill hauls and vintage outfits online and sometimes resell pieces they find in local stores.
Supporters of Goodwill say that every donated bag of clothes or purchased kitchen gadget has a double impact: keeping items out of landfills while funding training that can lead to steady work. Alabama Goodwill reports providing hundreds of Alabamians with job opportunities and work-based learning in recent years through its programs and “GOOD Jobs” placements.
For Crestwood-area residents, the new store will mean a shorter drive to drop off donations or browse for used furniture, kids’ clothes or work attire. For younger shoppers who already see Goodwill as a Saturday stop—part treasure hunt, part social outing—it will be another place to dig for that just-right worn denim jacket or midcentury lamp.
Alabama Goodwill plans to share updates on hiring events and grand opening details for the Crestwood Boulevard store on its website and social media channels as spring approaches.