NATCHEZ — Natchez’s Goodwill store will close soon due to lack of community engagement, the company’s management said.

The Natchez location of Goodwill, next door to Natchez Market 2 on U.S. 61 North, will close its doors May 14.

Goodwill Industries of South Mississippi Vice President of Retail Val Ward said the store had operated at a loss since its 2013 opening.

“We ran it for two years at a loss — a big loss,” Ward said. “Maybe one month we broke even.”

Ward said the store’s failure largely had to do with a lack of community engagement and donated merchandise.

“It seems the community never bought into our mission and what we do there in Natchez,” Ward said. “We just were not getting the donations needed to keep the store viable.”

The regional board decided to close the Natchez location about three weeks ago, Ward said. The current employees were given an option to relocate to Biloxi in order to retain employment.

“We got a great bunch of employees, they’ve been doing great,” Ward said. “I’ve asked if any of them wanted to come down, but no one wanted to.”

Ward said the Biloxi locations also offer adult literacy classes, GED programs and job skills training, but the Natchez store was never successful enough to fund such programs.

Natchez now falls under the Ridgeland regional office, but Ward said the chances of the company trying again in the area are slim.

Until the store closes at their normal closing time May 14, every item in the store will be on sale for 99 cents.