Plans are moving forward to bring a new store to the former Safeway location in Centenoka Park Mall.
Bill Miller, executive director of Habitat for Humanity Kamloops, says a ReStore is in the works for the site.
Habitat is currently in negotiations with the property owner, he says, and “things are looking very positive.”
Depending on the renovations and upgrades underway, the ReStore should open in May or June, he predicts.
The stated vision of Habitat for Humanity is: “A world where everyone has a safe and decent place to live.”
ReStores are part of that vision. They sell donated items at reduced prices to the public.
“Money raised through sales covers 100 per cent of the cost of Habitat for Humanity Kamloops’ operations. That means that every dollar donated to Habitat for Humanity can go directly towards building homes for families in need,” states their website.
Miller says ReStores carry “everything from building supplies to furniture to kitchenware to appliances to automotive parts to light fixtures.”
He says they don’t stock clothing. Most items are related to housing but not all. A lot of donations come from major hotels as well as Rona, Home Depot or people downsizing, he says. It’s a combination of new and used.
Last year six or eight major hotels provided donations when they were changing furnishings.
Read more: Habitat for Humanity plans to open ReStore, build seniors’ housing in Salmon Arm
Read more: Rust Valley Restorers’ classic Camaro to be won in fundraiser
The Salmon Arm ReStore will be about 14,000 square feet in total, Miller explains, with 10,000 of that retail space and 4,000 warehouse and storage.
Staffing will be a combination of paid staff and volunteers, with plans dependent on the level of interest from volunteers.
“We could be looking at as many as eight paid staff.”
People are drawn to volunteer typically because of their desire to give back to the community and their belief in the vision of Habitat, he says.
Miller suggests that anyone interested should watch the Habitat for Humanity Kamloops website as there will be more formal applications and discussions as time progresses.
Even though the organization’s name is Habitat for Humanity Kamloops, it encompasses four regional districts.
Because Miller’s objective is to make sure Habitat is serving all communities in its region, the organization began looking at alternative locations.
With Salmon Arm only an hour or so from Kamloops and a lot of people in the community enthusiastic about it, he says the first step was to plan a ReStore for Salmon Arm.
“We’re excited about it, Salmon Arm seems to be excited about it, so away we go.”
marthawickett@saobserver.netLike us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter
