Have you been to a Habitat for Humanity ReStore lately? Well The Girl and I stopped by the ReStore in Bellingham, Washington last month on our way back from Vancouver, British Columbia and let me tell you Bob, it was the biggest {and best!} one I’ve ever been too.
Update: Apparently we were not at a Habitat for Humanity ReStore but RE Store of Bellingham, Washington. What’s the difference?
Habitat for Humanity ReStore
“Habitat for Humanity ReStores are nonprofit home improvement stores and donation centers that sell new and gently used furniture, appliances, home accessories, building materials and more to the public at a fraction of the retail price.
ReStores are independently owned and operated by local Habitat for Humanity organizations. Proceeds are used to help build strength, stability, self-reliance and shelter in local communities and around the world.”
RE Store of Bellingham, Washington.
“The RE Store is a reclaimed and used building materials retail store in Bellingham, WA. We are a program of RE Sources for Sustainable Communities, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. RE Sources promotes sustainable communities and protects the health of northwestern Washington’s people and ecosystems through the application of science, education, advocacy and action. The primary goal of The RE Store is to divert as much reusable material as possible from the landfill and to build a culture of reuse in our community.”
Thanks for letting me know Leslie. 🙂
Anywho, the Bellingham RE Store was not only huge, but the variety was pretty darn amazing.
They had an 11 piece set of oak kitchen cabinets available for $1,000. The center island with a granite counter top was $200. What a deal!
Check out those GORGEOUS entry way doors.
And this chandelier priced at $125. It’s very similar to one I spotted on the Pottery Barn website a few months ago. And at a fraction of the price. If I was in the market for a chandelier for the dinning room, I probably would have bought this one and lightened the candle sticks and shinned up the crystals.
And this antique sideboard. What a beauty. It was priced at $1,250.
Hand carved and HEAVY. It’s hard to find quality pieces like this today. The amount of used furniture was crazy. Tons of dinning room tables, chairs, bed frames, dressers, you name it, this particular ReStore had it.
An electric “wood stove” for $25!
They even had an entire room dedicated to window treatments and blinds. I probably should have looked for something for my patio doors but I was seriously overwhelmed with everything the store had to offer. Every which way I looked there was something even more impressive than the last spot.
Need a window? Or a window part? Why pay retail when you can get one for way less AND give back to your community?
The used toilets were priced around $25.
And there were a ton of pedestal sinks there as well. I wish I had known about this place when we were remodeling our downstairs powder room. Oh well, live and learn, right? Now I know where to go if we buy a house that needs to be remodeled.
They even had used lumber!
And pretty much every kind of door knob and deadbolt set imaginable.
So seriously, if you’ve never been to RE Store {or a ReStore}, check to see if there is one in your area. And even if you have to drive a little to find a good one, you could end up saving some serious cash on your next home improvement project.
Have YOU ever bought anything from a ReStore? If so, I’d love to hear about it.
~Mavis
Kari says
When I lived in Lynden (Hubby worked in Bellingham) I visited the Re Store in Bellingham a few times. I agree, it is amazing! We had a new house at the time, so we didn’t need anything for remodeling. I did, however, pick up a few things for craft projects. We’ve moved from that area, and I haven’t found anything even close to the size or quality of what that store was. It is definitely a must-see!
Michelle says
We got a set of four real wood blinds for our bedroom for $20 and they are great. We also got some old closet doors to use for shelves in the garage. I’m glad I ran into this today because our living room blind just broke and I’ve been putting off getting a new one because of price. I know where I’m going today!
Jayme says
I love my local restore we’ve bought spray paint for $2.49 a can the high quality outdoor kind and a new dining room fixture as well for $30!! The people there are always so nice too. Ours even carries furniture, such a great place too look for treasure.
Lisa MTB says
Thanks for sharing! There’s one near me, but I have never checked it out. Now I will have to do so!
Leslie H says
Just want to let people know that this is not the Habitat for Humanity store in Bellingham. This store’s profits fund RESources for Sustainable Communities, an environmental activist group.
Their is a Habitat for Humanity Store on Cornwall Ave, further into downtown.
I don’t have anything to do with either organization, but if you buy at the REStore, thinking you are helping Habitat projects, you’ll be disappointed.
(Mavis, I sent a separate email about this.)
Laura T. says
I’ve seen the stores but have never gone in one. I am in love with that sideboard! It is beautiful!
fifitrv says
Interesting cultural differences in pricing here. We don’t, as far as I know, have similar stores in the UK, but we do have quite a lot of auctions, and the US prices for some of the things you showed makes a hardened antiques bargain hunter like me wince. I’d hope to get an old chandelier like that for around $50 and the sideboard for no more than $300 – you see lots of solid brown wood furniture here for very low prices. Lots of Victorian and Edwardian buffets, armoire and sideboards go for less than $100 at the sales I go to, with reproductions even cheaper. I imagine older furniture is scarcer in the US, driving the prices up.
KAYTHEGARDENER says
With careful selections, those stores are also good for used lumber for garden & patio projects!!
Lace Faerie says
Hey! You were in my neck of the woods! We live just north of Bham, before the US border. We love our ReStore. It’s my first stop for most household projects! Need shelves? Replacement glass for a table top? Oops, broke one of the dining room chandelier glass? Bookcase? It is great fun for bargain hunters! We got the best four pane windows for our shed, looks really cute with flower boxes under them!