ReStore: Not Your Average Thrift Shop

From thrift to consignment and antique to vintage, the Asheville area is full of places selling second-hand items. See what makes the Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity ReStores unique.

Habitat ReStore Round Up: Small Change, Big Impact

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Shoppers at the Asheville Habitat ReStores can support more than Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity and affordable housing. Through the Register Round Up program, folks have the opportunity to contribute to the work of a wide range of non-profit organizations meeting myriad community needs. In 2023, thanks to the generosity of shoppers who chose to “round up” at the registers, $24,591 was raised and donated to 11 local non-profits and a Habitat for Humanity disaster response effort. 2023 beneficiaries were:

  • Neighbors in Need
  • MLK Jr. Association of Asheville & Buncombe County
  • Bounty and Soul
  • Mutual Aid Disaster Relief
  • Sunrise Community for Recovery and Wellness
  • Helpmate
  • Homeward Bound
  • The Mediation Center
  • Habitat for Humanity Maui (Wildfires relief efforts)
  • Asheville Poverty Initiative
  • ABCCM Veterans Restoration Quarters
  • The Steady Collective

“It was a big year and your contribution through the Round Up made a huge difference,” shared Aiyanna Foltz, Donor Relations Manager at Bounty and Soul. “We are so thankful to the ReStore and Habitat for Humanity for nourishing so many through the Register Round Up program!”

Kim Klass, Manager of the Weaverville Habitat ReStore and Chair of the ReStore’s Societal Impact Committee noted, “The ReStore provides a conduit; we are pleased to facilitate a connection to non-profits in the area doing good work. It’s the generosity of our shoppers that make this program so impactful. All the small incremental donations – 10, 30, 65 cents – add up to big change.”

In the program’s inaugural year, 2019, $11,717 was raised. Since then, thousands of small sub-$1 donations have cumulatively raised more than $105,000 for community partners.

To see the breadth of the Round Up program’s 2023 impact across the community, click here.

2023 ReStore ReUse Contest Winners Announced

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Congratulations to the winners of our 12th annual ReStore ReUse Contest! Thanks to all entrants for sharing your creativity and talent for a chance to win.

2023 ReUse Contest Now Open

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Now through September 30, residents can show off their creativity and talent for a chance to win in the 12th annual ReStore ReUse Contest contest. Fabulous furniture make-overs, remarkable renovations, or unique yard art…if you recently took on a DIY project using predominantly reused building materials, we want to know.

Blue Ridge Service Corps Spotlight: Natalie McNally

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Over the last six months that Natalie has been apart of our Decon team, she has learned how to extract cabinets and granite tops while keeping them intact, disconnect light fixtures and ceiling fans from both the electrical and mounting brackets, disconnect waterlines from sinks and drains, and more.

Community benefits from ReStore Shoppers’ Generosity

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When you shop at the Asheville Habitat ReStores, you support more than Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity and affordable housing. You also have the opportunity to contribute to the work of a wide range of non-profit organizations meeting myriad community needs. In 2022, thanks to the generosity of shoppers who chose to “round up” at the registers, $24,627 was raised and donated to 10 local non-profits and 2 Habitat for Humanity disaster response efforts. 2022 beneficiaries were:

  • BeLoved Asheville
  • MLK Jr. Association of Asheville & Buncombe County
  • All Souls Counseling Center
  • Habitat for Humanity’s Ukraine Emergency Response
  • United Way of Asheville and Buncombe County
  • Blue Ridge Pride
  • Woodson Branch Nature School
  • Sistas Caring 4 Sistas
  • Asheville P.E.A.K. Academy
  • Eblen Charities
  • ABCCM Veterans Restoration Quarters
  • Habitat for Humanity of Florida: Disaster Relief (Hurricane Ian)

SistasCaring4Sistas co-founder Nikita Smart shared, “When we have unrestricted funding like the Register Roundup it allows us to go the extra mile with our families. This is important to us, but also the families we serve, especially when they feel they have nowhere else to go or local agencies are out of funding, or the need is something they don’t fund. Myself as well as the rest of the team at Sistas Caring 4 Sistas, thank you deeply for the donation, and dedication to the work we do.”

“The ReStore offers a unique opportunity for Habitat to use its platform to support others doing work that intersects with affordable housing- including healthcare, education, disaster relief and community development,” said Scott Bianchi, Manager of the Asheville Habitat ReStore. “Asheville Habitat provides the mechanism, but it’s the generosity of our shoppers who make this program successful. All those small incremental donations – 10, 30, 65 cents – they add up to big change.”

Implemented in 2019 to support other non-profits serving our community, the Round Up program raised $11,717 that first year. Since its inception, thousands and thousands of small sub-$1 donations have cumulatively raised nearly $80,000.

To see the breadth of the Round Up program’s 2022 impact across the community, click here.

2022 ReStore ReUse Contest Winners Announced

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Congratulations to the winners of our 11th annual ReStore ReUse Contest! Thanks to all entrants for sharing your creativity and talent for a chance to win.

Volunteer Spotlight: Joe Young

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Joe Young sitting at his desk next to his current sewing machine repair project.

Joe at his desk next to his current repair project.

In November 2021, volunteer Joe Young offered to help combat a growing problem under the Asheville ReStore: sewing machines were piling up in the basement. Despite having minimal experience with the machines, Joe pivoted from large appliance repair and set to work. Today, he is a seasoned sewing machine repairman putting his love for fixing and maintaining tools into a new passion. We sat down with Joe on National Sewing Machine Day to talk about his volunteer work, history, and, of course, sewing machines. Learn more in the video below.

 

ReStore Volunteer Spotlight: Anne Justice and Lou Towson

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Part-time volunteers and full-time friends, together Anne Justice and Lou Towson sort, curate, and price the enormous volume of jewelry that passes through the ReStore.

Blue Ridge Service Corps Spotlight: Evan Johnson

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Evan has spent the past nine months as a member of the ReStore’s Deconstruction team, a group of Asheville Habitat staff and volunteers that extract reusable building materials like kitchen cabinets, appliances, and bath installations prior to demolition or remodeling.