The Habitat for Humanity ReStore

This is the best place to go thrifting! Not only is the selection great, but it’s convenient location means that you can stop in on your way downtown or home from work and that it’s close enough to campus that walking, biking, or busing between class or on lunch isn’t out of the question. It’s got an expansive selection of hardware, furniture, gardening, and kitchen supplies! The best time to shop is definitely August since that’s when there’s a lot of shuffling going on with leases ending and students moving away. By the end of August though, things are usually picked pretty clean since new students moving in definitely know to stop in here. I’ve bought many of my kitchen appliances here for a fraction of the price you’d spend at a department store! AND it supports a good cause! A win for everyone!
The only thing they don’t sell are clothes but that’s fine, there are plenty of places to shop for second hand clothes in town. It’s nice to find a place that does the «everything else». Also, the employees aren’t always that helpful but most of them are volunteers so I would keep that in mind when they’re not enthusiastically assisting your every whim. While this means that most of the employees aren’t the most helpful, it also means that there’s always that random one that’s SUPER passionate about helping you find stuff. I’ve had someone go to the back to bring out boxes of freshly delivered VHS tapes just to help me find the one I was looking for!

I went to the ReStore looking for some furniture for my apartment — way better selection than I expected. They have not one, but three floors! The ground level is dedicated to large pieces: couches, dining room sets, entertainment stands, chairs, electronics. The basement is dedicated to DIY supplies, small appliances, and sporting equipment: raw building materials, doors, window frames, filing cabinets, skis, bikes, bowling balls, shelving units, microwaves, washers, dryers, etc. The top floor is reserved for glassware, art, lamps, and linens. I found an amazing coffee table and quiet, high-​quality filing cabinet for $ 40 total. Highly recommend.

Store review:
Yes this is better than the goodwill or salvation army stores in Champaign due to a large selection of furniture and a constantly rotation stock of merchandise. This was my first time visiting a Habitat for Humanity store. I still have not bought anything from these stores before, but this place was super busy on the Saturday morning. The first floor has a small section for electronics, mainly old CRT TVs and other random electronics. They have many desk, tv stands, chairs at very good prices. Depending on your luck I can see how you can make off with a very good deal. The chairs themselves were very old and I could not see myself buying a used recliner. The basement has tons of hardware material well organized. On the second floor is home goods. Lots of the merchandise on this floor is very very old. Overall if you like second hand goods this would be your store. FYI there is no clothes at this store.
Pros: cheap second hand furniture if you are on a budget
Cons: very old merchandise
Hidden deals:
The whole store is a hidden deal, just look around

My ReStore experiences have always been hit-​or-​miss (that’s the nature of the store), but I was excited to buy a Sony CRT television that can pick up digital TV signals for $ 32 today during a 50% off sale. I wanted to buy something used because I’m a student and will be moving away in two years and this is perfect.

After traveling to Champaign for a football game, we were excited to see on Unilocal that there was a Habitat for Humanity Restore and that it would be open until 5pm. When we got there at 4pm we were turned away at the door.

found Sony speakers for eight dollars… just the thing to get my turn table goin again

I like to go here occasionally and just see what they have. In the past, I’ve found several good books here as well as some fabrics and crafts and linens that I’ve torn up and made into yarn. The atmosphere is warm and the people are friendly. The prices are very reasonable. Some of the stuff can be a bit run down but I’m willing to look through it to find some treasures.

This is the best home thrift store in Champaign. The employees are really friendly and helpful, popcorn for the kids (which is a helpful tool when I’m trying to shop in peace) and great items with great prices. Most of my living room is furnished from items purchased at ReStore. Also the manager is a really friendly guy and is always helpful. Furniture delivery is only $ 20! Which is less than I would have spent to rent a truck from Home Depot which would also have cost me the, plus I have to load and unload it myself, etc. I am truly in love with this place.

Any time you are planning a trip to Home Depot or Lowe’s, you should check out the ReStore first. Odds are, they’ll have what you’re looking for at a fraction of the price, and you’ll be doing the earth a favor by buying it used instead of new.
The basement level has all the home depot-​esque items, from pieces of wood to paint to hoses to tools and so much more. The main level has tons of used household furniture including couches, dressers, chairs, tables, etc. as well as electronics like TVs, and then upstairs you’ll find all the normal thrift store finds like framed art, dishes, and various odds & ends. The upstairs part is comparable to Goodwill’s housewares section, but the furniture selection here is way better.
All in all, it’s a gold mine. Like a gold mine, you have to be willing to dig through the dirt a little, and probably clean your finds once you get them home, but it’s well worth it.

Great finds on used furniture and housewares

One of my favorite thrift stores. It definitely has that auction-​y thrill of grabbing what you want quick (before it’s gone). The selection of housewares is great, and there is almost always something there that fits my taste. The prices are reasonable, but once when I found something that was definitely overpriced, I was told that I shouldn’t argue with the prices, as the money goes to charity. I can’t argue with that, but it did keep me from buying the item. Knowing Habitat, though, it was gone by the end of the day. :)

I have gotten so much of my furniture from here, including some surprisingly nice antiques. The selection rotates every week — I’ve had the best luck on Sundays. They also have a TON of old kitchen gadgets and glassware upstairs. I got all the glassware for my wedding from here, and they were cheaper than it costs to rent from a service.
Second the complaint about the really loud religious music, but it could be worse.

Great place to search for furniture and such if you’re looking to decorate your place on a budget. We got a nice 3-​headed swivel lamp for $ 10 (although we later found that 1 of the lamps only kind of works), a practically new super comfortable computer chair for $ 15 and some miscellaneous dishes for 25 cents each. We were really looking for a couch, and they certainly have quite the selection. Some of them were really good deals, others seemed strangely expensive considering the condition (over $ 100 for a worn out couch?). Granted, I’m no furniture expert so maybe they really were super awesome couches despite being kind of grungy.
We actually did find a couch we wanted (cheap, comfortable, and clean were our criteria), but it had already been claimed by the time we got back around to it. If you’re seriously interested in a piece of furniture, remove the price tag and hold onto it until you’re ready to check out. Apparently that’s the way things work here, although my boyfriend and I had no idea of this «policy» until it was too late and a staff member explained it to us. Apparently they get tons of new couches in constantly, so we’ll be back to check out the selection in a week or so.
Another cool thing is that they offer delivery service. I believe the cost was $ 20 for the first item, delivered to the first floor, and an additional fee per item. Needless to say, we won’t be moving a couch with my sedan, so we’re happy about the delivery service and will absolutely be taking advantage of it once we find the couch of our dreams.

My favorite thrift store. They often have great finds, and I have often passed things up to see them being resold on ‘ol Craigslist.
I feel one of the best aspects of the store compared to other charity stores is there is no clothing = more room for building supplies, furniture, kitchenware, books etc.

I LOVE this place! If you’re either diligent or lucky, you can find some truly great things. And if you’re creative and imaginative, you’re really in for a treat – a thrifter/diy’er paradise for sure. Their stuff is way better than Goodwill, and lower priced. Plus, they have everything arranged so well it’s easy to find what you’re looking for.
Policies:
«Technically* they can’t help you carry stuff to your car, but they usually will, and they hold stuff for 3 days. $ 5 minimum cred. card purchase, but you can make a donation as part of your purchase (say you have $ 4.39 purchase, you can make a 61 cent donation).
Examples of past purchases:
giant antique gold framed mirror — $ 30
1800’s windsor chair with bamboo legs — $ 10 (worth $ 300)
large turkish style vase — $ 5
matching antique gold framed floral prints — $ 5

I don’t know how this place has 5 stars. It is really depressing inside and everything is torn or broken. I don’t want to knock the charity work that Habitat is doing, but I would never come to this store to buy something. The only use I can see for it is that you literally have NO money but absolutely need whatever they have here. They have a large selection of furniture but most of it did not seem in great condition. I really wanted to like this place but I just couldn’t.

Wonderful, high quality furniture at affordable prices. Really helpful staff. Why drive all the way up to IKEA when you can get amazing furniture here? I bought a beautiful dark wood bookcase and chest of drawers. My friend got a cute little 70’s green chair and a table. The stock is always rotating so come often to find the best things!

The people here are cool, and they’re committed to social justice and activism, and the prices are good. It’s a winning combo, although the sheer massiveness of the things – everything from doors to toilets to sofas to bedspreads to clip art for Windows 3.1 – is a bit overwhelming.
What *WAS* underwhelming, however, was the fact that the store was selling two sets of dolls, some traditionally peach complexions, others painted midnight black with thin red lips. The white dolls? $ 5. The black ones? $ 3.
Talk about yoru ³⁄₅ compromise. Ick.
I wanted to make it 3 stars as a result, but the place is so committed to helping the urban poor that I can’t. just… damn, those dolls suck.

I have now fully committed myself to recycling, at every level I can think of, including home furnishings. Last week, I bought the most hideous day bad that was clearly handmade and in need of a woman’s touch. For $ 50 and a five dollar can of stain, I turned it into an HGTV masterpiece. I used two old IKEA curtains that I had and recovered the cushions. Now, this player is most definitely hated. It’s the perfect little sofa for my library. That’s the kind of magic that the ReStore has to offer.

Formerly known as HOMEWORKS, Habitat for Humanity moved and renamed their Home Store a few blocks east on University Avenue (inside what used to be the Salvation Army).
Plenty of reasonably priced items to purchase to furnish, decorate, establish or refurbish your home. They carry donated painting supplies, roofing, nuts n bolts, couches, foam board, mattresses, books, jars and even sometimes a Wurlitzer Organ.
If you can’t find what you want, ask an employee to write your name and contact information on their «Wish List» — if and when it comes in, they’ll call you!
For a small fee, they’ll deliver it right to your home.
Or! If you have something to donate, they will come by and take it off your hands.
I’ve seen local companies donate floor mattresses, model furniture, etc… I even bought myself a couch that was definitely underpriced @ $ 90. The delivery guy told me it was brand spankin’ new and worth at least $ 300.
When I move, I plan on donating it back to ReStore to keep the community love going since all proceeds go to the local Habitat for Humanity home building projects in Champaign County. When you shop or donate to the ReStore you also help build a new home for a local family in need. Now that’s smart shopping.