Celebrating 40 years of homes, communities, and hope

CELEBRATE

FORTY YEARS OF...

HOMES
ADVOCACY
SERVICE
EDUCATION
WOMEN
COMMUNITY
For 40 years, Habitat Chesapeake has restored and rehabilitated homes and disinvested communities through affordable housing options. In our commitment to sustainability, we’re also proudly supported by 6 ReStores, which support our mission through the sale of used goods.

Learn more about how ReStores help fund affordable housing in this video with Scott Wingrat, Habitat Chesapeake board member. We also spoke with Timonium ReStore General Manager Michael Brunson, and some of our amazing volunteers!

 

Join us in celebrating all the ways we restore homes and communities through the ReStore! 

Columbia

Dundalk

Glen Burnie

Halethorpe

Sandtown

Timonium

What are the ReStores? The Habitat Chesapeake ReStores are retail outlets that resell used and new furniture, appliances and home goods at deeply discounted prices. The proceeds from every purchase support Habitat Chesapeake’s mission to build affordable homes in the surrounding area.

The ReStores promote sustainability by encouraging the resale of gently-used items, diverting an estimated 3.2 million pounds of waste from landfills, and encourage buyers to shop locally. 

ReStore Website

42,000

volunteer hours annually

$2M

city and school taxes by homeowners each year

3.2M

pounds of waste prevented from entering landfills
An Early Vision
Over the past two decades, Habitat for Humanity of the Chesapeake ReStore has been a catalyst in supporting Central Maryland in a variety of ways – from inspiring the dreams of first-time homebuyers, to building a more sustainable Chesapeake.

Well before the Habitat for Humanity ReStores expanded across the country, the idea of a home improvement store and donation center began in 1991, with the very first store constructed in Winnepeg, Canada. The United States quickly followed suit in 1992.

In the early 2000’s, the Arundel Habitat affiliate built the first ReStore in this region, “Renovation Station”. Like other ReStores across the country, it was established to help reduce the cost of home construction while diverting millions of pounds of waste from landfills.

When the Arundel and Sandtown affiliates merged in 2006, Habitat for Humanity of the Chesapeake was born, and the Chesapeake ReStore was established. Today, 100% of the store profits go toward building decent and affordable homes for families throughout Central Maryland.

“It has truly created a cycle of support and positive change throughout Central Maryland,” says Owen Rouse, Habitat Chesapeake Board Member and contributor of the original Chesapeake ReStore business plan and concept. A cycle of support is right! Habitat Chesapeake relies on our supporters to continue the ReStore’s mission.

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How did the ReStores begin? Habitat Chesapeake board member Owen Rouse recalls the humble beginnings of the ReStores. In 2006, Rouse wrote out the original business plan for the concept of the ReStore. The Arundel Habitat “Restoration Station” was soon born. Anne Arundel Habitat later merged with Habitat Chesapeake and 5 other stores followed suit.
“I think we will grow in our store count and would anticipate increases in sales…I think there will be a steady reliance on the capital that ReStore provides to the organization and we will continue to use the ReStore concept in the overall storytelling about our organization and its successes.”
Check out this video to learn more about how our ReStores support Habitat Chesapeake’s mission with Michael Brunson, General Manager at the Timonium ReStore!
Volunteering with The restores
Walk into any Habitat Chesapeake ReStore and you’re greeted not just by floor-to-ceiling deals and steals, but the friendly smiles of the ReStore volunteer staff. At each of the 6 ReStores, volunteers provide much-needed support to staff by working with customers on the sales floor and organizing donated furniture, appliances, home goods and more.

“I wasn’t even looking for a place to volunteer at the time,” says one long-time Habitat Chesapeake volunteer, Kathy. “It just kind of happened, and I was like, this is fun!”

Regular volunteers like Kathy work behind-the-scenes, organizing merchandise and preparing items for Timonium ReStore’s Silent Auction, a select group of items available for bids for a limited amount of time. These auction items can be anything, from the rarest antique item to the quirkiest, one-of-a-kind decoration. For example, the 7-foot tall Nutcracker, made entirely from items donated to the ReStore, was specially crafted by ReStore volunteers for the Holiday Auction.

Regardless of where they serve, volunteers play a major role in Habitat Chesapeake’s mission. In the ReStores, volunteers reduce the cost of staffing the retail stores, while also providing fun and safe volunteer opportunities off our construction sites.

Thank you so much to each and every volunteer who has served at the Habitat Chesapeake ReStores! If you’re interested in volunteering with the ReStores, visit the link below for current opportunities, or visit our website for other ways to get involved.

Volunteer Oppportunities
FORTY YEARS OF HOMES.
HERE’S TO FORTY MORE.
Habitat Chesapeake would like to thank you for making 40 years of service possible. To help us bring homes and hope to families for decades to come, please consider donating time, services, or funds to help us carry our mission into the future.