Bemidji Goodwill Opens Larger Paul Bunyan Drive Store with Career Center

True North Goodwill Community Engagement Director Scott Vezina was on site Feb. 24, 2026, as dozens of customers braved subzero temperatures to shop at the new Bemidji location at 1788 Paul Bunyan Drive, adjacent to the Simonson Market and Car Wash. The store replaces Goodwill's longtime downtown Bemidji site, which the nonprofit occupied for 15 years and intends to repurpose as an outlet.

The Paul Bunyan Drive store roughly doubles the retail and processing footprint of the downtown shop, according to Goodwill materials, allowing more inventory and a wider selection of donated goods for shoppers in Beltrami County. Store hours at 1788 Paul Bunyan Drive are listed as 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.

New on‑site operations include a donation drive‑thru with a drive‑thru canopy, an automatic door for donor access and staff pickup at the curb. A person identified only as Henderson described the logistics: "We have the drive‑thru canopy so our customers or donors will be able to come through the drive‑thru and come in through an automatic door, or our DSA will come out there and pick up the donations for them." The move is designed to speed donor drop‑offs and improve donor experience for Bemidji area residents.

The store also opens a Career Navigation Center offering workforce connections, job application assistance and access to computers. Vezina described an expanded menu of services across True North Goodwill's territory, saying, "we're bringing curb navigation services to the location as well, where we can provide people with those front line supports, seeking jobs, upskilling, all things of that nature." Officials said the center is intended to connect local jobseekers to training and placement supports inside the larger retail footprint.

Vezina placed the Bemidji opening in the context of True North Goodwill's regional footprint, noting the organization operates in northern Minnesota and parts of northwestern Wisconsin: "So we are one out of 154 unique Goodwill territories. We have 29 counties in the service area. So each Goodwill operates completely independently and we are 100% local, 100% nonprofit." He added the local operation supports employment and mission services, saying, "Within the territory, it’s over 280 local jobs, right?" and "All of the dollars that people spend locally at Goodwill, all the items they donate to generate that income or that revenue actually goes directly into supporting mission services. So each year we serve around 600 people and that number is going to keep growing as we keep expanding more services across the territory."

Goodwill representatives said the downtown Bemidji site will remain open as an outlet with deeper discounts on unsold items from the new main store, while the Paul Bunyan Drive location becomes the primary retail and processing hub. Officials signaled the Career Navigation Center and curb navigation services will roll out as part of continued expansion across Goodwill's 29‑county territory.