Habitat for Humanity Kelowna plans to open a second ReStore retail outlet this year in Kelowna.
Located in a refurbished 23,000 square foot location, the Kelowna store will be the largest ReStore in B.C., offering a wide array of new and gently used building products, home décor, furniture, major appliances, antiques and more at greatly reduced prices.
“The current location on Ross Road in West Kelowna has been very successful allowing Habitat for Humanity to move forward quickly with its mission to supply affordable home ownership in the Okanagan,” said Deb Guthrie, executive director of Habitat for Humanity Kelowna.
She says plans are in place for ground breaking in Peachland this spring where Habitat for Humanity will build three new duplex units supplying homes for six families in the area.
ReStore’s accept donations from both national and local businesses, manufacturers, contractors and the general public. 100 per cent of the profits from ReStore operations fund affiliate services and assist in fundraising for building homes.
In turn, a single ReStore in a community diverts a remarkable amount of good useable products from ending up in the local landfill. In Canada last year alone, ReStore operations diverted over 27,000 tonnes from landfills.
“Each location is unique, being donation driven, so while it is a second location in the valley the inventories in each store will be very different.” said Neil Smith, manager of ReStores in the Okanagan. “The only common themes are category, quality and extremely good value.”
Getting a new store up and operating is no simple task as Habitat for Humanity is at its core, a volunteer based organization. Their current location set a Canadian record for the most volunteer hours in a ReStore which Guthrie says speaks volumes to the community driven spirit of the Okanagan.
“We have to pass along a huge thank you to the City of Kelowna, Argus Properties and a number of local contractors for making this vision a reality,” added Smith, who confirms they are in the location preparing it for opening.
The new Habitat for Humanity ReStore will open at 100-2092 Enterprise Way this spring. To find out more and for volunteer opportunities, visit their website at www.habitatforhumanitykelowna.ca.
