August 21, 2025; Ellyn Couvillion, staff writer
A new, larger Goodwill store opened Thursday in Gonzales.
“We needed a larger facility,” said Ken Jones, vice president of community relations and public affairs for Goodwill Industries of Southeastern Louisiana. The nonprofit has had a presence in Gonzales for 20 years, through its store at 306 South Airline Highway.
The new, 26,000-square-foot Goodwill store is nearby at 419 South Airline Highway.
Goodwill Industries International, founded in 1902 and based in Rockville, Maryland, supports its workforce development and job placement programs through its more than 3,000 stores in North America, as well as others overseas.
In Louisiana, Goodwill stores can be found in 11 parishes, Jones said, but the services of Goodwill — such as workforce development — operate in 23 parishes, in nonretail locations with their own computer labs for job training. Goodwill has seven other stores in metro Baton Rouge.
The stores are known for their gently used items and discount prices, but “87% of all the revenue goes to workforce development,” Jones said.
The Goodwill store in Gonzales will be open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday to Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.