Tips for shopping, donating and volunteering at a Habitat for Humanity ReStore

ReStores are great for communities. They provide a convenient place to donate your quality used and new household items and resell those items to the public at bargain prices, using the proceeds to help build Habitat for Humanity houses.

For those of you who want to help out your community in this unique way, we asked three ReStore managers for shopping, donating and volunteering tips.

Shopping

Vivian Bolen, who runs the ReStore in South Bend, Indiana, recommends that people come at least once a week. She actually recommends a daily visit if you can fit it in. The reason? Her store, like ReStores everywhere, often adds items to the sales floor daily. You never know what you’ll find.

She also recommends visiting more than one store. “We encourage people to visit multiple ReStores throughout the area to find what they are looking for,” she says. “The products we receive are across the board, so each ReStore carries different items.”

Of all the items Bolen sees, one of her favorites is vintage hardware. Many people come to the ReStore looking for hardware to complete their home restoration, and they find it.

In Mooresville, North Carolina, ReStore manager Mary Gibbs says shoppers find furniture and building materials. But she also says there’s a wide selection of ornaments and housewares for sale. Recent offerings include a unique, like-new cookie decorating kit that hadn’t been sold in retail stores in years, as well as unusual glassware and dishes, including vintage.

“People come looking for pieces to finish off their set of dishes, and they find them here at our store,” she says.

One of the most helpful pieces of advice that Jaimie Washburn of the San Carlos, California, ReStore offers is to bring a camera with you.

“Coming with a camera phone lets you get opinions right away,” she says. “We have quick merchandise turnover, so get your friends’ opinions quickly.”

Washburn also says it’s best to come with your required dimensions in your back pocket. Shoppers who leave the store to go home and measure to see if an item will fit often find that someone else snapped it up by the time they return.

Donating

Donating your usable household items to a ReStore helps keep items out of landfills. But before you donate, make sure your donation is a quality item with a second life.

“If you had need for the item you are donating, would you buy it?” Bolen advises.

Washburn agrees, “Most stores don’t repair or restore things. Most stores have donation criteria. So make sure to check the store’s website or call to ask before you donate.”

ReStores often accept the different types of household items we’ve already mentioned, as well as more unusual items such as a handcrafted chair made of woodcarvings and fur donated to the ReStore in California and a vintage kerosene pump donated to the store in Indiana.

Gibbs sums it up best. “If it is usable and has to do with your house, I want to resell it.”

Volunteering

ReStores are a great place to make new friends, help customers and volunteer with Habitat outside of a construction site.

“If you love shopping, you are probably going to love volunteering at a ReStore,” Bolen says.

Many Habitat ReStores post available volunteer opportunities on their websites, or you can call the ReStore directly to see what spots they have open. Volunteer opportunities usually include cleaning and organizing products, working the cash register, and pricing items.

Some ReStore volunteers use their training and background to help out. At the store in San Carlos, a volunteer with know-how cleans and repairs all tools before they are put on the sales floor.

Connecting with your local ReStore

Whether you plan to volunteer, donate or shop – or do all three – find out how you can get involved by connecting with your local ReStore.