Nashua area to get its first Goodwill store, at site of former burned plaza on 101A

The big new retail store going up on Route 101A in Amherst has one major difference from all the big retail stores that exist around it: It needs customers not only to buy its goods but to supply them in the first place. “We reflect the community: The donations that come there will stay there,” said Jane Driscoll, vice president of public affairs for Goodwill of Northern New England, which will open its first Nashua-area store Feb. 7. The 17,884-square-foot store will generally sell about 65,000 items, roughly half clothing and the rest ranging from old film cameras to used books, toasters to toys, pottery to lots and lots of shoes. All are used and donated with the exception of a few items, such as socks and underwear, that Goodwill Industries buys. The store’s design echoes that of the closest Goodwill stores, in Manchester and Hooksett, with a large covered drive-through donation area, where people can drop off items without having to leave their car. They will be processed, sorted, fixed and cleaned in an 11,000-square-foot addition to the store.