Kennewick’s new Goodwill store opened at 345 S. Columbia Center Blvd. on Aug. 30.

This is the first Kennewick retail Goodwill store location to be built from the ground up. G2 Construction of Kennewick was the general contractor for the $3.1 million retail store and warehouse. Archibald & Co. Architects of Richland was the architect.

“A lot of thought went into the layout and design of this new store ensuring a safe environment for our team members,” said Ken Gosney, Goodwill's executive director.

Goodwill of the Columbia held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new 20,000-square-foot store on Aug. 29. It's located between Fred's Appliance and Flower Farm.

The new store will employ 28 people and includes 10,000-square-feet of retail space, as well as an attended donation processing center and warehouse space.

The existing Kennewick and east Kennewick Goodwill locations will be closing.

The Columbia Center Boulevard location is better for shoppers and donations and will eliminate two leased properties with one that is owned are reasons for the move, according to Goodwill.

“Safety in the workplace will be much improved. The new Columbia Center Boulevard location has a loading dock, which will require less lifting. The entire facility has been designed to receive and process donations in a safe, efficient manner,” Gosney said in a release. “Our goal is to position Goodwill to be able to continue to serve the community long into the future.”

The old fire station on Kennewick Avenue was purchased by Goodwill and will operate as an attended donation center.