Restore opens Tuesday in new location
Published 4:38 pm Monday, February 28, 2011
Aisle after aisle of home improvement needs are ready and waiting for area do-it-yourselfers in the newly relocated Habitat for Humanity Restore.
A 9 a.m. Tuesday opening at Restore’s new location in the Old Kmart Shopping center on Douglas Avenue opens opportunities for those doing home projects to those looking for a book or a new lamp.
Jack O’Neil, manager of Brewton’s Restore, said the move to the new location was needed and new lines of merchandise are helping to fill the extra space.
“We had just run out of room in our other location,” O’Neil said. “We had maxed out our space there and we didn’t have anywhere to put any merchandise we received or purchased.”
The move, which began with talks with landlords of the property, began about six months ago, O’Neil said.
“We started moving merchandise about two and a half months ago,” O’Neil said. “We just gradually transitioned here. We kept selling in the other store until last Friday.”
O’Neil said the growth of the store is now more promising with the move that has given them more space for merchandise sells and more space for donations.
“This spot is in the middle of the shopping center which will give us more exposure,” O’Neil said. “We also have more room to have a bigger selection for customers which will help grow the store. After talking with the landlords and getting a feel for this location, we just felt like it would be a great fit for us to be able to grow the business.”
O’Neil said the new location will offer more of the same merchandise that customers have come to appreciate.
“We will still carry the same kind of merchandise that we always have with some areas seeing some expansion in the lines,” O’Neil said. “We’ve expanded our furniture line and our hardware lines.”
O’Neil said Restore’s relationship with sellers and the ability to buy collectively with other Restore shops has given them the opportunity to offer quality merchandise at good prices.
“There are 650-plus Restore’s across the country and we have formed a good partnership with Restore’s in our region,” O’Neil said. “We have formed a good partnership with stores in Pensacola, Mobile, Birmingham, Mobile, Montgomery and in Baldwin County. We buy a lot of merchandise collectively and share the purchases among the stores. That way, we are able to get truck load prices to be able to sell at competitive prices to our customers.”
O’Neil said new merchandise is purchased from close-outs, overstocks and some cancellation returns, however some merchandise is slightly used.
“We are happy to take donations and are really hoping we get more local donations,” O’Neil said. “We will accept anything of value except clothes. If someone has a home-improvement project that has leftovers, we’ll be glad to take those. Even if they have items they’ve taken out of their homes we’ll be glad to take those if they are in usable condition.”
The store is filled with doors, cabinets, flooring, windows, screens, shutters, paint, hardware, appliances, lighting fixtures and even more personal items including dishes, books, lamps and art.
“We need local donations and will take them anyway someone would like to give them,” O’Neil said. “If they drive up out front and blow the horn, we’ll go out and get it. We’ll even pick-up larger items for free if they give us a call.”
Store hours for the new Restore location are from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays. To inquire about merchandise available or to arrange for a pickup of donated items, call Restore at 867-5659.