Sales at a newly-launched Denver home improvement store that supports military veterans are exceeding expectations.
The Denver-based national nonprofit Veterans Green Jobs opened the Go Green Warehouse on May 21st. The store sells donated home improvement materials at a discount, with profits supporting programs that train veterans for jobs in home weatherization, and wind and solar energy.
“Already in just two months we have a lot of regulars here, who are coming back again and again,” says the store’s director Veronica Collin, noting that the mission is part of the reason for the early success. “They like our prices, and they also like that the money is going to something important.”
In its first five weeks, the Go Green Warehouse has surpassed early sales projections by more than 44 percent – something that Collin attributes both to the economic downturn and to Americans’ compassion for veterans. She anticipates that business is only going to grow from here.
“Very few people in Denver know about us right now -- yet we’re doing a great business. So as we grow we anticipate more people will find out about us, more people will donate to us, because all of the materials here in the store are donated by individuals and businesses.”
The store has four military veterans in full-time positions, and also relies on help from community volunteers who perform duties ranging from pricing products to stocking shelves and greeting customers.
