Goodwill's New Upper East Side Location Holding Grand Opening Thursday

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — The new and much-anticipated Upper East Side Goodwill celebrates its official grand opening on Thursday, the charity confirmed to Patch, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony featuring the Goodwill President and local elected officials.

Located at 1498 First Ave., between East 78th and 79th streets, the new shop replaces the now shuttered longtime eyewear spot, Glasses on First.

At Thursday's grand opening, Goodwill's President and CEO, Katy Gaul-Stigge, will cut the ribbon with help from Assembly Member Rebecca Seawright and Council Member Julie Menin.

The 1,000-square-foot space will be the first so-called Mini Shop & Donation Drop in New York City and the third Goodwill location in the Upper East Side.

Typical Goodwill stores and donation centers stand around 10 times larger than the new Mini Shop, and the smaller-format store is said to offer a more curated selection of donated goods from the Upper East Side, according to the charity.

In an announcement, Goodwill NY/NJ emphasised that their mission is not just sustainability and thrifting, but also in helping people find work.

According to Goodwill NY/NJ, the charity helped re-purpose more than 38 million pounds of clothing and goods, helping to keep usable items from the landfill while also helping to provide job training and placement for 9,000 people — half of them being people with disabilities — in 2022

The new store will be open every day from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and will accept donations until 6 p.m.

Goodwill's other Upper East Side locations can be found at 1704 Second Ave., between East 88th and 89th streets, and 1114 First Ave., between East 61st and 62nd streets.