ReStore ready for business

Let there be light
Volunteer Brodie Down affixes a price tag to a light fixture at the newly opened Habitat For Humanity ReStore, located at 185 South Service Road, Grimsby.
Williscraft – Photo

**********

Volunteers and inquiries have been flowing into Habitat For Humanity’s new ReStore location in Grimsby – now customers can, too.

The facility had a VIP opening Thursday and opened to the public the next day. Its hours of operation going forward will be: Monday-Saturday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., with donations accepted daily up to 4:30 p.m.

Renovation of the 20,000 sq. ft facility took nine months, said HFH’s chief operating officer, Keith Gowans.

“We’re excited to be in the community and open for business,” said Gowans.

“Along with our stores in Fonthill and St. Catharines, this store will generate proceeds to spil over into our building fund. Increasing our core building capacity was identified in our strategic plan which will lead us through 2022.”

While the retail floor is a “soup to nuts” scenario – with furniture, hardware, lighting, windows, doors, lumber and much more – Gowans said the Grimsby location has a unique feature.

“Our ‘Innovation Centre’ will be a training centre which we will use to work with our own build team, so a crew lead will have a solid base of knowledge when we send them out to a work site,” said Gowans, noting a new Habitat home on Central Avenue in Grimsby is the most recent contribution the organization has made.

“We have also had interest from the public about learning how to operate the tools, so we may look at that as a fundraising opportunity,” said Gowans.
With four full-time staff and about 60 volunteers already in place, Gowans said the response has been remarkable.

He noted that many groups have been very supportive, especially Grimsby Benevolent Fund. “I’m impressed with their operation. We have a lot to live up to. GBF had been very supportive,” he said.