Restocking the ReStores

WBEE’s “Let’s Garage Sale” Helps Habitat for Humanity Provide Rochester Housing

The Summit Federal Credit Union is a sponsor of WBEE’s “Let’s Garage Sale” program with D.J. Terry Clifford, providing refreshments and signage to those Rochester-area sales Terry chooses to highlight. As a not-for-profit ourselves, The Summit loves to partner with those organizations that make a difference in our community. Let’s Garage Sale sponsor Habitat for Humanity Restores certainly fits that bill. We asked Dan Petronio, ReStore Director at Flower City Habitat for Humanity, to explain how Terry’s garage sale program helps further the mission of Rochester’s ReStores.

Habitat for Humanity believes that no matter who you are or where you come from, everyone deserves a decent place to live. We partner with people to help them build or improve a place they can call home. As the Director of Flower City Habitat for Humanity ReStores, I am proud that we can play a large part in providing affordable housing in Rochester.

Habitat homeowners help build their own homes alongside volunteers and pay an affordable mortgage. Since 1984, Flower City Habitat has built over 240 houses in Rochester and we continue to increase our footprint as we move forward.

Our mission is to help Habitat homeowners achieve the strength, stability, and self-reliance they need to build a better life for themselves and for their families. One of the ways we grow this mission is through our two ReStores at 755 Culver Rd. and at 2199 East Henrietta Rd. in the Towne Center Plaza.

Here is a brief overview of how ReStores fit in with our homebuilding work:

Habitat for Humanity ReStores are nonprofit home improvement stores and donation centers that sell new and gently used furniture, appliances and more to the public at a fraction of the retail price. By shopping, donating or volunteering at Habitat ReStores, you help us not only build more affordable housing in Rochester, but also keep quality, usable home-improvement items out of local landfills.

While we are often looked at as a traditional retailer, we are more of a hybrid. Most retailers rely on steady promotions and consistent depth of products. ReStores run regular sales, and once an item is sold, it’s gone. We don’t have multiples of the same furniture and appliances in stock. What you see today may be gone tomorrow, and we often don’t know what treasures will be arriving each day. ReStores are donation-driven businesses that rely on the generosity of our community to keep our sales floors fully stocked and ready for our shoppers to do their thing.

By donating your gently used furniture, appliances, kitchen cabinets and lighting (among other items) to us, you are starting a circle of repurposing, which helps in many ways:

• As a donor, items that you are replacing get a new home instead of ending up in a landfill. You’ll declutter your home and receive a donation receipt to use on your taxes.
• Shoppers can update or upgrade their homes with new-to-them items that they might not have been able to find or afford elsewhere. Or maybe they just found something unique that caught their eye. Either way, your donations get a second chance and someone gets to bring new ideas to their place.
• When you purchase at ReStore, the proceeds go toward our Homebuilding Mission of building Homeownership, Communities and Hope in Rochester.

Rochester ReStores are regularly restocked with warehoused items and new donations.

Everyone’s a winner in this scenario, and who doesn’t like that?

We are always looking at ways to expand the donor base for our ReStores. That is why we have been proud to be a part of Terry Clifford’s “Let’s Garage Sale program on WBEE for the past three years. If you are having a garage sale, you can advertise with Terry to promote your event for free, and when your sale is over you can contact Flower City Habitat ReStores at ReStoredonations@rochesterhabitat.org to schedule a free pickup of leftover items from your sale.

In the time we have partnered with WBEE, we have seen a steady increase in donations, with much of that coming from the awareness that Let’s Garage Sale has given us. WBEE has been instrumental in helping our Flower City Habitat for Humanity ReStores grow, and for that we are grateful.

Here are some pointers for those considering shopping at our ReStores:

• We have 3 donation vehicles on the road Monday through Friday in different parts of Monroe County to pick up your items. By contacting us at ReStoredonations@rochesterhabitat.org, you can get scheduled for your free pickup on our next available date in your zip code.
• Since we bring in new products daily, it’s always good to stop in and check things out regularly. Products change rapidly, and you never know what you may find. And with donors dropping items off directly at our ReStores, even we don’t know everything we will be seeing daily!
• ReStores also carry brand new products. We purchase an assortment of items from wholesalers to sell at affordable prices. If you are in need of paint, paint supplies, small tools or laminate flooring, come check us out. New items are also donated month-to-month from business partners such as Ruby Gordon, Lowes and Tile Wholesalers.
• We have a ReStore Facebook page (Facebook.com/ROCHabitatReStore)where we regularly post “Friday Finds” and other goods. Please like and follow us for updates.

I would like to thank The Summit Federal Credit Union for allowing me to pass this information on to all of you, and hope that you will visit our ReStores when you are shopping for home improvement goods or are ready to clear some space in your home.

We’re grateful for your donations. Hope to see you at our ReStores!