World Cup fans find vintage soccer gear at Seattle Goodwill

SEATTLE, Wash. - As Seattle welcomes thousands of soccer fans from around the world, some are making an unexpected stop before heading to a match or watch party: the world’s largest Goodwill.

Located about two miles from Lumen Field, Evergreen Goodwill’s flagship store spans 70,000 square feet and stocks roughly 10,000 new items every day, making it a destination for bargain hunters, collectors and visitors looking for a unique Seattle experience.

A stop for match-day gear

Whether a fan forgot to pack a jersey, needs a clear stadium bag or simply wants to represent their favorite team without paying retail prices, Goodwill says shoppers have plenty to choose from.

"You always forget something, or like it’s maybe a little cooler than you thought, or it’s a little hotter than you thought. So you need a new shirt, or a coat, or maybe people don’t know that here you need a clear bag to go into the stadium, or that you might want to carry a water bottle," Micha Gobek, the Evergreen Goodwill’s public relations and communications strategist, said. 

She says customers can donate the items right back if they don't want to take the souvenir home. "See it as like your lending library for the vacation." Gobek said.

 Soccer fans searching the racks may come across jerseys from clubs and national teams around the world, along with scarves, jackets and clothing in team colors.

"The jerseys, of course, go on the floor as soon as we find them, so people are very interested because online they cost a lot of money, and here I just bought a jersey for a non-US country for myself. It was $25, so the reasonable prices are, of course, a big draw," Gobek said.

She says shoppers don’t necessarily need an official jersey to show their support.

"People can, of course, just say, like, okay, my country has these two colors, these three colors, and put together an outfit, just like with red, white, blue, for instance. Doesn’t have to be a jersey, right? So you can do something else with the colors."

A Seattle experience for visitors

For many international visitors, stepping inside a Goodwill is an experience of its own.

"A lot of countries don’t have Goodwills. It is an international organization, but it’s not everywhere, and so for many people, thrifting on that scale is something completely new," Gobek said.

She says the flagship store has already seen new faces during match days.

"We certainly have seen people here who haven’t been here before… on those game days, when the big watch parties are, you do see different people in the store who are overwhelmed, but positively overwhelmed… and you hear different languages spoken, so that’s a very neat experience."

More than a thrift store

Goodwill says shopping at the store also supports workforce development programs across the region.

"This is really a mission-driven organization… you do something for yourself because you save money, you get something that everybody has, you do something for the planet because you keep it out of landfill, but you also do something for this local community because whatever the revenue is from what you buy goes into the workforce development into our training for people, which is all completely tuition free for them," Gobek said.

The organization highlighted its environmental impact. Gobek said Goodwill keeps 96% of clothing donations out of landfills, which part of the city's culture: the store is part of the city's circular economy by extending the life of donated items and reducing waste.

With thousands of new items continuously hitting the sales floor each day, Gobek says shoppers don’t have to arrive when the doors open.

"At a store of this size they are constantly rolling out new things, they are constantly restocking… the 10,000 pieces they stock every day, they don’t all come out in the morning."

And because donations change every day, today’s hidden gem could be gone tomorrow—and replaced by another.

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