Beloved South Jersey Goodwill reopens after fire, with customers lined up around the block
EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP, N.J. (CBS) — Nearly four months after a suspicious fire shut down a beloved Goodwill Store in South Jersey, it reopened Thursday. The team welcomed customers, who lined up around the block, back inside at 9 a.m.
In the days leading up to the reopening, it was a last-minute rush preparing racks of clothes at the Cardiff Plaza store. Many said the store is more than a place to pick up a good steal.
"We try to provide a more of a community or neighborhood per se," store manager Edwin Maldonado said.
Maldonado calls it his "neighborhood stoop," but the store has sat empty since mid-January, when a suspicious fire damaged it. Between the fire and water damage, everything inside had to go.
Egg Harbor Township detectives are still investigating the fire and asking for community tips.
"Honestly, it was pretty depressing to see what we built … to what it became," Maldonado said.
Everything inside the store now, Maldonado said, came from donations collected in the community over the last several months. The team said they're beyond thankful for the support.
"I have actually about seven or eight trailers, pre-priced, ready to go, just from this community alone," Maldonado said.
The team at the Egg Harbor store is happy to finally open the doors once again.
"It's been quiet for too long!" Maldonado said.