Since 2003, Habitat for Humanity of Champaign County Ohio (HFHCCO) has given seven first-time homeowners a new lease on life through new home builds, and now it’s the nonprofit organization’s turn for a change in venue. On Feb. 26, the HFHCCO ReStore will close its doors at 1598 E. U.S. Route 36 in Urbana in favor of a new location at 955 N. Main St.
The ReStore, which sells furniture, appliances, building materials and more donated by the community began leasing its current location near Tree’s Drive-Thru in April 2010, but the building is in the process of being sold.
“The potential buyer has indicated that he would be needing over 2,000 square feet of our space for his own business, which would have limited our ability to do business, so we elected to relocate,” ReStore Manager Anita Segreti said.
With assistance from local businessmen Jim Bob White and Jeff White, the ReStore was able to work out a contract to lease the 6,250-square-foot facility on the north end of Urbana.
Greg Ward, who serves as HFHCCO build co-chairman and vice president of the board, expressed his appreciation to the Whites for their “incredible support and cooperation” in allowing HFHCCO to lease their facility.
“We were also so fortunate to have Teresa Stokes as our patient and understanding landlord for so many years,” Segreti added.
While the new location doesn’t offer much of an increase in square footage, it does offer its fair share of advantages when compared to the current location.
“It is air conditioned with plenty of parking, and it has windows for natural light,” Segreti said. “There are also several large doors, which will make it easier for customers to pick up furniture and appliances. Plus, we are excited about the big showroom windows as it will be fun to merchandise them to give the customers a peek inside.”
As a result of the move, when the ReStore opens for business at its new digs on March 2, it will do so with a few changes, one of which includes new store hours of 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday.
“We will also be implementing a new pricing policy,” Segreti said. “Every item over $10 will have a tag indicating scheduled markdowns, and it will be up to the customer to decide whether to wait or to be sure of getting what they want and paying a little more right now.”
“One thing hasn’t changed. We will have great buys on a very interesting assortment of merchandise,” she added. “You never know what you will find at the ReStore.”
Closing date, sale items
To decrease the merchandise that will need to be moved once the ReStore closes its East U.S. Route 36 location on Feb. 26, the store is offering discounts to entice customers through the doors.
During the final week of business at its current location, the ReStore will feature discounts of 50 percent off on Wednesday, Feb. 24, and 75 percent off on Thursday, Feb. 25.
On Friday, Feb. 26, Segreti said, everything in the store will be 90 percent off or customers can make offers for any remaining merchandise.
Until the new location opens, donations will only be accepted from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Feb. 20 and 27 at 955 N. Main St.
To mark the ReStore’s sixth anniversary on April 1, a grand reopening will take place from noon to 6 p.m. Grand reopening festivities will carry over to April 2.
“We enjoy being part of the Champaign County community and have excellent relationships with our customers,” Segreti said. “We hope they will follow us to our new home, and we hope that we will be able to share the Habitat vision with many new customers as well.”
Ward added, “We look forward to the increased north and southbound traffic on North Main Street. It is an exciting time, but as with all change, there are challenges to be met.”
Making a difference
Since opening nearly six years ago, Segreti said, the ReStore has helped HFHCCO build homes by providing the funds to purchase kitchen cabinets, landscaping, paint, and even one of the lots used to build on.
“The Restore staff is often involved in many other ways as well,” she said. “On behalf of myself and the HFHCCO Board, we would like for the ReStore to become even more profitable and make a more significant and reliable contribution to the construction of the Habitat homes.”
Along with helping with home builds, the ReStore has provided an environmental benefit to Champaign County.
“Using a formula supplied by Habitat for Humanity International, we can estimate that the Urbana ReStore has kept 129,291 pounds of material from the landfill,” Segreti said.
