Good World Goods owner Victoria York finishes a hand-painted table in the store's old location.Good World Goods is ready to reopen just down the road from its old location which closed last month following the end of the business's lease.
The fair trade and local art-centric store will reopen in the Brainerd Hills Center at 6333 East Brainerd Road the first week of February, said owner Victoria York.
"I don't know if I even have any words for it other than whirlwind," she said of the sudden move. " We're looking forward to the future. I think we can really develop everything that we were and then some, in this space."
Located just next to Greg's Sandwich Works, the new location will still have enough space for York to paint furniture and other items in a back workspace, with the shop itself in front.
York said her main concern following the loss of her lease in the former space was to not leave her loyal customer base and local artists for another part of town.
"We like the Brainerd Hills location because it's not far from our currently established customers," she said. "We considered a lot of spaces that would have worked well for us, but at the cost of our current customers, many who've become dear friends of ours."
Because most of the larger inventory items were sold at a discount prior to the move, York said she and her husband are working hard to find and rework new pieces for opening week.
"We will still be a mix of fair trade and local," she said. "But we're also looking at refining a little bit. As you grow, people tell you what they want, and people have told us what they want. We want to listen and grow, in addition to maintaining our standard stock of items."
In particular, York said the store is looking to focus on more functional art pieces, such as painted tables and chairs or hand-painted pottery.
Area artists interested in having their items carried in the store can contact York through the Good World Goods' Facebook page or via goodworldgoods.com.
"We're still staying who we are as a business," York said. "I'm just so thankful that our artists have stuck it out with us."