ReStore builds out a bigger future
Retail chain benefiting affordable housing efforts continues to expand footprint in Connecticut
Efforts to add more affordable housing around the state — and promote reuse of furniture, appliances and building materials at the same time — continue to grow across Connecticut through the expansion of Habitat for Humanity’s ReStore outlets.
There are eight ReStore locations statewide, with the addition of a store in Vernon in mid-February. Other locations include stores in Wallingford, Cromwell, Stratford and two in Danbury.
The ReStore concept began in 1992 in Austin, Texas. There are now more than 900 nationwide, according to Habitat for Humanity officials.
The mix of items for sale is constantly changing, and how the organization’s local affiliates use the proceeds varies from store to store.
Richard Desautels, who is the manager of Habitat for Humanity’s Coastal Fairfield County ReStore location in Stratford, said gently used furniture “is a very large part” of the store’s sales.
“We also get building materials like flooring and windows,” he said. “Windows that were either ordered improperly or the order was canceled. We get donations from small companies, large companies, and we have a few lumber companies that donate to us on a regular basis.”
The 45,000-square-foot store at 1785 Stratford Ave. is one of the organization’s largest in the Northeast, Desautels said.
The type of shopper who frequents the ReStore locations is as eclectic as the mix of products available.
“We have antique dealers who come in; we get treasure hunters and, since the pandemic started, we have people shopping for furniture and buildings materials
because orders they made at other retailers haven’t arrived because of supply chain issues,” Desautels said.
“We have people who are looking for bargains so they can stretch their dollars a little further. And we get a lot of set decorators from television and movie productions that come in on a regular basis.”
Larraine Moody, CEO of Habitat for Humanity’s North Central Connecticut affiliate, said the ReStore locations in Vernon and Bloomfield, like all other ReStore
locations, “operate on a cash and carry basis.”
“We do not do layaway,” Moody said. “If you see something you like, I tell my customers to buy it. Because if you wait and come back later, it may not still be there.”
The type of shopper who frequents the ReStore locations is as eclectic as the mix of products that are available.
Moody said the North Central Connecticut affiliate’s stores “always try to make sure the material it has for sale is a mix of items for the different groups of customers
we get.”
“You get the entire spectrum,” she said. “You get the bargain hunters, and you also get people who are from subsidized housing.”
Carolyn Vermont, chief executive officer of Habitat for Humanity’s Coastal Fairfield County affiliate, said the local organization is focused on construction of new homes and that the proceeds from the Stratford store go toward that.
“We don’t do much rehab,” she said. “We build 10 to 12 homes per
year on average.”
Since the Coastal Fairfield affiliate was launched in 1985, the local group has built 277 new homes. Most of the new homes are built in Bridgeport, although Desautels said, the local affiliate has two new homes currently under construction in Stratford.
By contrast, Habitat for Humanity’s North Central Connecticut affiliate is most focused on rehabilitating existing properties, Moody said.