Frustration about a proposed new Goodwill store spilled over from some two dozen community members who attended a meeting hosted by leaders of Goodwill Industries Thursday night.
Their concerns were at first directed at the Goodwill representatives, who repeated they want to work together with residents and local government to do what’s best for all, but later turned to feelings that Henderson will lose out while other nearby towns flourish.
Concerns included:
- They preferred the parcel of land that Goodwill is interested in developing be used for a grocery store—a Schnucks or an Aldi’s—or a park or something for children
- The location is not the right fit for a Goodwill store
- Already heavy traffic on Watson Lane will increase
Questioning also included vacant box stores in town, such as the building of the closed Trees ‘N Trends, and if Goodwill leaders considered other locations.
“We’ve got so many abandoned pieces of property now, and that influences how we feel,” said one resident, Jud Duncan.
Goodwill Industries Evansville President Connie Ralph said that other properties were looked at, but as a business, they needed to go where they can succeed.
Adam Blythe, who helped organize the event and who is running for Henderson city commissioner, said there’s only a handful of people in Henderson who own commercial property and most don’t want to sell.
Those points, though, were not something Goodwill officials could answer to because, as their leaders said Thursday evening, they were just looking for a piece of property to expand their mission—not development for the entire community.
“We want to work with your city officials,” said Jared McIntosh, Goodwill Industries of Evansville board chair. “We’re committed to working through the paths available to us.”
Additionally, Duncan asked about the programs that Goodwill offers in Evansville, while currently in Henderson there are no such offerings.
Goodwill reps said they hope some programs—examples include a Good Guide program, learning and development programs, soft skills programs and the Excel Center, which is high school for adults—can be offered in Henderson eventually. McIntosh said Goodwill is open for suggestions, questions or ideas about what it can offer locally.
In answer to a question, Goodwill reps agreed theirs is a nonprofit business, so it won’t pay city property taxes. But they touted their mission to help people with barriers to employment first get a job and then acquire further skills to move on to other, better work.
Ralph said that the current Henderson store brings in net revenue of $1 million per year, currently employs 34 and throughout last year employed 65. She said the entry level wage is $13 per hour and employees are eligible for increases after a year.
Ralph said wages don’t get too high as an incentive for employees to move on to higher paying jobs elsewhere.
“We want them to gain skills that make them more employable,” she said.
Additionally, Ralph and others said Henderson can support a second location and that there’s no doubt a store at that location—the Watson Lane and U.S. 60-East intersection—will make money. Also made clear Thursday night is that the South Green Street location will remain open.
Ralph also said that other for-profit thrift stores are currently opening locations across the nation. Ralph said those for-profit businesses move into communities, they make profits but don’t give anything back to the community. She said it’s important that Henderson is “saturated” with nonprofit thrift store businesses to discourage those for-profits from moving in.
Board member Dan Temme said a new store would look just as nice and as modern as the Goodwill location that opened in August 2024 at Washington Square Mall in Evansville.
“We won’t do any less here,” Temme said.
Temme did say a new Henderson store would be scaled down in size. The Washington Square Mall store is 180,000 square feet, while plans for new store in Henderson would be between 20,000-25,000 square feet, he said.
In addition to the building, Goodwill will also take on building infrastructure—gas, sewer, water and a road—as part of the plan. Once built, the road can be used to connect to other developments that could come behind the property later, McIntosh said.
Additionally, Goodwill reps talked about a 1-acre parcel that will be disconnected from the rest of the tract once the road is built. They said they expect to sell the tract, and it could be developed.
Another question from the crowd was about the connection of the landowner, Sarah Hutcheson Revocable Trust and her family, the Warren family, to Goodwill. Her brother, Gene Warren, Jr., is the vice-president of the board. Ralph said Goodwill was working through a broker to find available land and didn’t know the owner of the land till later in the process. It is his sister’s trust, and when dealing with her, “She’s tougher than me,” Ralph said was Warren’s response.
“He had zero influence,” she said.
Temme said U.S. 60-East is a hot area that no doubt in the years to come will be developed. He said whether it’s Goodwill or someone else, the parcel “is going to be commercial.” He added Goodwill wants to build a “quality building that looks great that you’ll be proud of.”
If all goes according to Goodwill’s plans, site work on the parcel will occur this year with a groundbreaking in late 2027 and a store opening in late 2028, Ralph said.
The first step for that to occur will be Tuesday’s Henderson City-County Planning Commission meeting, when a public hearing will be held as part of Goodwill’s application to have the parcel rezoned from agricultural to highway commercial. The meeting is 6 p.m. in the third-floor meeting room of the Henderson Municipal Center.
Goodwill leaders will also host another informational session on Monday, the day before the planning commission meeting. It is scheduled for 6 p.m. at the Froggy Denton Shelter in Atkinson Park.
