Habitat for Humanity’s ReStore moves to downtown Livingston
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From Enterprise Staff
Habitat for Humanity of Polk County recently moved its ReStore to downtown Livingston in the old Sears building located at 321 N. Beatty Ave. The ReStore is a nonprofit home improvement store and donation center that sells new and used building materials, appliances, new and gently used furniture, and home accessories at a fraction of the retail price.
“The location has been a dream of the organization since 2020. When it became available again, we knew we had to jump at the opportunity,” Habitat’s Executive Director Amy Borel said.
The building required substantial clean up and prep work before Habitat could begin moving in. The previous tenants had left a considerable amount of garbage and the building needed to be brought up to code.
“It really took the coordinated effort of many people to get the building move-in ready. We are just so very thankful to the volunteers, local government, small businesses, the board, and our employees for putting hundreds of hours of hard manual labor into prepping the store,” Borel said.
Sheriff Bryon Lyons and Deputy Paul Cain provided hard working crews of inmates on several occasions.
“We owe a debt of gratitude to Sheriff Bryon Lyons and his crews of inmates for their help. They did a great deal of the heavy lifting and gave our volunteers and employees a break. They also did a good deal of clean up, helped strip the floors, and painted the inside of the building,” Borel said.
Work on the building has included stripping the floors, fresh interior paint, updated electrical, new ceiling tiles, and general clean up. The ReStore staff and the Board of Directors hope the new location, along with the updates, will encourage more people to visit the store to shop and donate. Donations from the store support the Habitat mission while also diverting reusable materials from landfills. Local donations are vital to the success of the organization.
“COVID negatively impacted our organization as well. We’ve spent the better part of the last two years trying to recover. The new location will hopefully make more people aware of our organization and will remember Habitat for Humanity when they are looking to donate gently used items,” Borel said.
Habitat for Humanity of Polk County is the local affiliate for Habitat for Humanity International and builds homes for hard-working low-income families who are unable to qualify for traditional mortgages. Habitat homeowners help build their own homes alongside volunteers and pay an affordable mortgage.
Habitat for Humanity of Polk County is funded through local donations to the ReStore and volunteer efforts. To shop, donate, or volunteer, visit www.habitatpolkcounty.org or call the ReStore at 936-328-8529.
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