ReStore Shop: A Bargain-Hunter’s Paradise

The ReStore Resale Home Supply — 4525 Cleveland Ave. NW, Canton, just a minute or two outside North Canton — is filled with items priced to make a bargain hunter’s heart rate jump.

The store takes donated items such as furniture, building supplies, books, glassware, antiques and appliances and prices them 50 to 90 percent below retail to sell those who may not be able to afford to or want to pay full retail prices.

The store, operated by Habitat for Humanity for Stark and Carroll counties, gives all proceeds from the sale of the items back to help the organization build new homes. Habitat for Humanity builds homes for families in need, and when the house is finished and turned over, the new homeowner does obtain a mortgage to pay for the home. The intended homeowner is also required to perform so many hours of sweat equity (volunteer hours) on other homes or their own home during the build.

“So many people in the area have never heard of us,” said Sue Falcione, co-manager of the ReStore shop.

“People don’t realize that we are open to the public. Anyone can come in and shop. Or people think that we use all of the donated items in the building of a Habitat home. We don’t use the donated items in the homes, mainly because we have to use standardized materials.”

The store has been open in this location since June 2008. Before that, it was located on Leemont Avenue. This location has 30,000 square feet packed with new or used furniture, building materials, appliances, flooring materials, household décor items, sinks, toilets, windows and other items.

Many items get donated by local stores such as Levin Furniture, which has donated truckloads of discontinued furniture and other items. La-Z-Boy donated furniture. Whirlpool donated 60 new dryers one time. Other donations included items from Famous Supply and Bob & Pete’s Flooring. Border’s Books has donated seasonal books, wrapping paper and other items, and the Timken Company has donated used office items and has sponsored builds in the past.

“Operating the store feels like a ministry at this point,” said Beth Lechner, executive director of Habitat for Stark and Carroll counties.

“People who can’t afford to pay full retail can shop here. There is also a whole 'eco' aspect with an immeasurable amount of tonnage saved from going to the landfill.”

When homeowners remodel a kitchen or bathroom, they can call ReStore to come out and pick up the old cabinets and associated items instead of trashing them. Lechner said items such as the cabinets are still usable and instead of them ending up in the landfill, the homeowner can donate them and receive a tax write-off for the donation.

The store does employ nine people, but they also use many volunteers, including high school students, Boy Scouts and church groups. They often come in and volunteer to clean the store, unload donated items off the trucks or move furniture among other activities.

“We love our volunteers and would not be able to run the store without them,” Co-Manager Lisa Wiley said.

ReStore also holds a monthlong silent auction of items that are more on the collectible or antique line. Shoppers can come in and view the items up for auction and then make a bid in an auction binder. On the day the auction ends, the top bidder gets the item.

The ReStore shop is open for shopping or to drop off donations from 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesdays; and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays. There is also a donation hotline at 330-493-0011  to request someone to come and pick up a donation. For more details about items for sale or how to donate or volunteer, visit the website at www.restore.org. 

Habitat for Humanity at a Glance:

It is a Christian housing ministry.

The organization was started in 1976 by Millard Fuller and his wife Linda.

More than 350,000 people have volunteered worldwide.

The organization has built 400,000 houses and served more than 2 million people around the world.

The Stark and Carroll affiliate has been ranked as the top in Ohio since 1995.

The Stark and Carroll Habitat builds more than 20 homes annually and has built 367 homes in total.