Goodwill cuts ribbon on Olean store, training center

Article courtesy of Bob Clark / Olean Times Herald, original story is available here: https://www.oleantimesherald.com/2026/08/01/goodwill-cuts-ribbon-olean-store-training-center/

OLEAN — A new thrift store and job training center cut its ribbon on Saturday as hundreds waited to get inside.

Goodwill of Western New York cut the ribbon on its first Cattaraugus County store on Saturday morning. The store, at 2610 W. State St., is in the former Valu Home Center and includes retail space and a 1,200-square-foot area for workforce development training.

“‘Wow!’ is all I can say,” said Goodwill of Western New York President and CEO Thomas Ulbrich, impressed by the work by the staff to get ready for the event.

He also thanked the many customers who lined up, as well as other businesses and nonprofits who have been part of making Goodwill’s new store a reality. The event was attended by various government officials and the Greater Olean Area Chamber of Commerce.

“This community has been incredibly welcoming to us,” he said, adding that all rounded-up purchase proceeds this month will go to the Olean Food Pantry. “We want to be a part of this community.”

The store is working on workforce development programs, he said, and is seeking input from the community on specific programming needed by area employers.

Customers waited in line for more than an hour and a half before the store opened, lining up all along the front of the adjacent Holiday Park Centre Professional Office Complex. Some continued waiting an hour more as the store limited the large crowd for capacity reasons. Officials estimated the line was three times what the store could handle at a time.

First in line was Debbie Long of Fairport, who is staying on Cuba Lake. She arrived at 8 a.m. for the 10 a.m. opening. “I’m a Goodwill shopper — I go to the store in Victor,” she said, “and I wanted to see what this one was like.” She shared similar thoughts heard by other shoppers in the store, remarking at the renovated store, selection of an estimated 35,000 items on display, and pricing.

“So far, it’s very nice,” she said as she purchased a wooden cupboard for about $10. “The prices seem to be really good.”

The store is the first Goodwill store in Cattaraugus County, and is the only location in the Southern Tier west of Binghamton. Each region operates as an independent nonprofit, and stores in McKean and Potter counties to the south are operated by Goodwill Industries of North Central Pennsylvania. That group had opened an attended donation center in Olean, which has been closed. Staff were given the option of joining the staff at the new store, which also has a drive-up donation center.