Window on the West
A new location for the Habitat ReStore at 1270 Merriam Lane in Kansas City, Kan., saw some pretty good traffic in its first week.
The new location probably will be a better environment for customers and volunteers. According to Tom Lally, Heartland Habitat executive director, the former location on South 55th, while it served the organization well, did not have air-conditioning or heating.
“Our customer base was very loyal but had to suffer during the extremes of weather,” he said. “It will be a more customer-friendly shopping environment.”
The new location, which opened Feb. 4, also has greater retail footage, he said. The ReStore has a multiple-year lease. The new location is not far from I-35 and U.S. 69. It is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. It is closed Sunday.
Lally said the organization thought a long time about the move, and made a firm commitment to stay in Wyandotte County.
“Wyandotte County supports us and we want to support Wyandotte County back,” he said.
At the ReStore, donated items such as furniture, building material and paint are sold and the proceeds go to help build Habitat homes in a five-county area served by the organization.
Currently in the ReStore are a lot of donated new sinks, a lot of paint, file cabinets and kitchen cabinets, Lally said.
“We accept paint from manufacturers,” he said. “A gallon may be returned if it is the slightest tint off, and it’s brand new paint, very inexpensive,” he added. The file cabinets, at $20 for a four-drawer cabinet, also are inexpensive.
Heartland Habitat is finishing up three new homes in Wyandotte County, and has an additional six new homes to be built in 2013 in Wyandotte County, he said. There also will probably be another home built in Olathe and some in the Northland, he added.
For the organization’s minor home repair program, more than 100 minor home repair projects are planned in Wyandotte County during 2013, he said.
“ReStore helps us achieve a lot of that,” he said.
Also, the Kansas City, Kan., Restore contributes a little over $30,000 in sales tax each year, he said.
Some of the shoppers at the ReStore can’t afford to buy products elsewhere, he said, and so the store is helping to improve the community by offering the home improvement products at reduced prices.
As word spreads about the ReStore’s new location, Lally said he expected to see an uptick in sales, plus more and better donations.
“I think folks are starting to find out about the Heartland Habitat ReStore,” he said.
To reach Mary Rupert, editor, email maryr@wyandottepublishing.com.