Habitat For Humanity of Greater Columbus ReStore

I’ve been in this store a lot lately, looking for things I need for building sets for a church drama. If you are a DIYer and pretty creative, I’m sure you can find a lot of useful stuff. I really like the low prices on new paint, and because I’m working on sets and not my own house, I don’t care as much about finding a specific color. I haven’t been brave enough to buy any of the used paint — most of the cans look really nasty and when you shake the cans it seems like you should hear some sloshing. It seems like most of them are dried out. They do have pretty good prices on new brushes, rollers, etc. I’ve been pretty shocked at how high some of the prices are for things I would consider junk, but on the other hand, I’ve also gotten some great deals. I’ve found that keeping an open mind, trying to be creative, and being willing to do something a little differently than I originally had in mind have been key for me in making use of some of the things I’ve found here. Another key has been to go frequently and walk through the entire store each time, because what they have always varies.

I love going to the ReStore. No, you can’t find everything that you need in brand-​new condition – it’s salvage and donation only, so you not only may not be able to find what you need, you might also find a bunch of really random crap. This past time that we went, it was boxes and boxes and boxes of bed and crib rails piled up. /​shrug, I’m sure someone can use ‘em.
Things that are good at the ReStore (with the caveat that most things 1) will not be designer by any stretch of the imagination, and 2) probably won’t be an exact match to any project you’re working on – you have to use your creativity muscle here):
+ Wood scraps for small projects. You’re probably not going to find a lot of matching lumber (although the other location on the west side seemed a bit better for that), but if you’re doing something small, or you need a few shelves or some trim, you can usually find it. Our latest project was getting shelves and carpet scraps for cat furniture.
+ Light fixtures. They’re not all great-​looking, but with a little elbow grease, you could get a basic fixture and make it look nice.
+ Small hardware (drawer pulls, hinges, nails and screws). If you need a specific size or part, or you want something that’s stylish, you may not find it. If you’re looking for something to do the job and you’re not too particular about looks, check out the ReStore.
+ Paint supplies. They have new, inexpensive paint brushes and rollers; they also carry used paint, which, if you don’t really care that much about the color and you just want some cheap paint, I think you could find something that would work. Paint is expensive, yo.
+ Cabinets. Again, these will not be designer and you’ll probably have to put some elbow grease into them. We got a wall cabinet to hang in our bathroom (which we never got around to, but whatever) because we had no storage. The cabinet itself was on the large side and cost maybe $ 15, compared to closer to $ 100 for a new one from Lowes. It would have looked good sanded and repainted, maybe with a little trim added to the doors; otherwise, it was ready to go, and a bargain!
+ Thrifting adventures. On a recent trip, my husband found a router table full of bits for $ 50. The router alone was worth $ 50 and the bits were worth a lot more. The table itself was a bit wack, but what was inside was a bargain at $ 50. They have furniture, a limited amount of dishware (looked like new dishware, stacks of matching plates) and home goods. I’ve also seen stuff like organs and exercise equipment. (yeah, idk)
+ Tiles. They have lots of tiles, they sell ‘em by the box.
+ Doors, windows, and screens. Take a tape measure.
+ Used tools and tool parts. Recommended that you know something about tools so you can find the parts and everything that goes with it.
So, while the ReStore isn’t for someone who would find a hardware store difficult to navigate without clear packaging and aisles being labeled, you can definitely find some good stuff there. The money also goes to a great cause, so you can feel virtuous for saving money AND spending money at the same time.

A hardware thrift store? Yeah, that’s about right.
It’s a great idea, and there’s plenty of useful stuff. A lot seems to come from hotels. We’ll certainly be back to get a few things. Prices are not as low as I’d hoped, and some of the stuff is pretty beat up. But it’s definitely a good place if you’re remodelling.

A thrift store for home owners. Random leftovers and recycles of many essentials for home improvement/​repair: doors, windows, plumbing, major appliances, lighting, painting… you get the picture. Time spent hunting is rewarded with good thrift-​style prices.

Habitat for Humanity ReStore is a Home Improvement Store whose proceeds benefit Habitat for Humanity. I love this place for several reasons:
1. Visiting is definitely a scavenger/​treasure hunt. I consider this a positive because there’s a lot of quality stuff hidden in the shelves. Plus it’s fun to search.
2. This is a nonprofit that makes excellent use of its volunteers. This allows the store to use its proceeds toward the actual mission of Habitat for Humanity.
3. Relatedly, the ReStore just makes great use of community resources in general. They make it easy to volunteer, donate items, and support their mission.

The ReStore gets a four for existing and doing what it does, but a two for the quality of materials and some of the prices. We’ll meet in the middle and call it a three. Some of the stuff here should not be getting resold. I think they should up their standards for donations just slightly. I noticed a lot of doors, screens and other stuff that you couldn’t call anything other than defective.
In that regard, it’s a lot like thrifting. Some of the stuff is in great shape, other stuff shouldn’t have made it to the sales floor. A lot of the appliances are way over priced and some items, particularly in the lighting section, are incomplete. One area that shined was the kitchen cabinets. They have a pretty large selection of donated cabinetry and it’s all priced really well.
It might be good to visit before heading to a big box store, but chances are pretty high you’ll leave empty handed.

First off, I’m not sure many people know about the RESTORE. Or, if you’ve heard of it, you may have forgotten about it. I had… until, I just got some windows replaced and my installer mentioned it to me. So, I checked it out and it’s awesome! It’s like a Goodwill for remodeling materials and all of the proceeds go to Habitat for Humanity!
I haven’t yet been to the store… yet, but I just made my first donation and it was a great experience! It’s really a win/​win situation. The windows and sliding door I replaced were still in good condition, but I am going for new energy efficient windows. So, i called RESTORE to discuss my donation and they arranged to pick it up at my home (since I couldn’t transport it) and they picked it up as scheduled within a week and left me a receipt for a tax deduction. It is a great program! If you have left over remodeling materials that are in good condition (don’t let the workman haul it away) OR want to do some remodeling on the cheap you’ve got to check out the RESTORE! I’m definitely going to check it out before I head to Lowes next time I have a project!