The shelves are fully stocked. The staff is raring to go. And at 9 a.m. on Thursday, May 5, the doors open wide at Evergreen's new Goodwill store.

"We've been wanting to get into Kalispell for quite some time," said Chelle Feist, a spokeswoman for Easter Seals Goodwill Northern Rocky Mountain. "This is an absolutely beautiful store."

The 14,000-square-foot building is located at 2137 U.S. 2 East in front of the former Ashley Furniture store in Evergreen.

The store will sell used clothing, furniture and other household goods and will rely largely on donated secondhand items from the community.

"About 95 percent of what's there is from the Flathead Valley," Feist said. "It's been a very welcoming community."

The remaining 5 percent of goods, such as socks, are purchased by the nonprofit organization. Sometimes items are traded between other Goodwill stores, Feist said.

Easter Seals Goodwill Northern Rocky Mountain now had six stores in Montana, including Billings, Butte, Great Falls, Helena, Missoula and Evergreen; and four stores in Idaho in Boise, Nampa, Meridian and Pocatello. The organization last week got confirmation it also will be expanding into Utah, Feist said.

Goodwill stores are the primary revenue generator for the organization, which provides a variety of services to communities, such as vocational training for individuals with developmental, physical or emotional disabilities.

One example is the P.L.A.Y. Project, - Play and Language for Autistic Youngsters.

As of the end of March, 21 people had been hired to staff the Evergreen Goodwill store and cashiers are still being hired. Store manager is Michelle Weltz.

Store hours are 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. Donated goods may be dropped off during store hours. Some items such as mattresses won't be accepted; donors should call the store at 758-0240 for more information.

One of the biggest challenges after a store opens is maintaining replacement stock, Feist said.

Goodwill stores were founded in 1902 when the Rev. Edgar J. Helms, a Methodist minister, began collecting and reselling used clothing in Boston with the goal of providing productive work for the unemployed.

Today there are more than 2,000 Goodwill stores, mostly in the United States and Canada.

More information about Easter Seals Goodwill Northern Rocky Mountain can be found online at esgw-nrm.easterseals.com.