Goodwill Industries of Northeast Iowa plans to open a new retail store in Waterloo later this year.

The agency's volunteer Board of Directors has approved final details of a plan to purchase a building on the Crossroads Center campus for $1.3 million. The 19,000-square-foot facility, just south of Dillard's, is the former site of ROC Gym. Michael's and Hy-Vee Food Stores also previously operated from the building.

“We are very excited about this new site and our opportunity to serve more individuals in need," said Mitzi Tann, chair of the Goodwill Board. "This new store provides room for job training and needed processing areas. Our purchase was only made possible through a very generous gift from the owners of Crossroads Mall.”

The board hopes to complete the transaction next month, with the goal of opening the retail store in the fall of 2015.

“Staff have been working on this site for months and we are very grateful to have secured a facility at Crossroads to serve a variety of needs," said David Boyd, Goodwill president and CEO. "We are in the final stages of our due diligence and hope to close on or before June 15, 2015.”

Goodwill previously operated a store at Hammond Avenue and San Marnan Drive in Waterloo. The store was closed August 2014 when its lease expired. Goodwill officials had planned to replace the Hammond Avenue outlet with a modern, new store near the Biolife building outside Crossroads Center but later abandoned those plans.

The agency recently opened a store inside the mall. That temporary location will close sometime after the new retail center at the former ROC Gym opens.

“We operate nine retail stores in Northeast Iowa and the new Crossroads store will be our 10th," Boyd stated. “The public in our region has been extremely generous and loyal to Goodwill. This newest store is in direct response to our customers in Waterloo and the Cedar Valley."

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