Habitat for Humanity opens second store

The Spokane County Habitat for Humanity affiliate has opened a Spokane Valley store of recycled building materials and other donated items.

The Habitat Valley Store is the second location for the Inland Northwest’s chapter of the group that is dedicated to building affordable homes using volunteer labor and sold at no profit. Success of the chapter’s first store, located on East Trent Avenue near downtown Spokane since 2000, prompted the group to consider satellite locations.

“We’ve wanted to have a greater presence in the Spokane Valley,” said store director Jeff Howard. “We’ve wanted to be a part of the community.”

Its visibility also can help encourage donations, including land, volunteerism, as well as help remind people about Habitat for Humanity’s mission.

“We want people to come get a bargain and help keep these materials out of the landfills,” Howard says. “And we want them to know they are helping another family.”

Habitat stores are open to the public and sell at discounted prices new and used building materials and other donated items from local businesses and individuals. Store profits are dedicated to the group’s mission of building homes across Spokane County.

The new Habitat Valley Store boasts about 6,000 square feet of retail space and is currently filled with donated items such as new and used doors, windows and furniture. The entrance area is dedicated to shelves of collectibles referred to as the eclectic corner. And a cozy room in back is filled with books and record albums.

The store’s grand-opening special continues through today with 25 to 50 percent off its inventory. The store is near the southwest corner of Sprague Avenue and Bowdish Road.

Stock on hand is always changing and will be transferred from the downtown store, which has 30,000 square feet and where all donated items are accepted. Typical items include doors, windows, cabinets, plumbing fixtures, appliances, paint, tile, hardware, roofing and fencing.

The smaller store will allow for greater customer attention, Howard says. Workers at the Valley store will help locate items within the store and elsewhere for customers with special requests.

Together, the Habitat Stores employ four full-time and five part-time people and rely on the nearly 45 volunteers. The stores are a big part of the group’s fundraising efforts, as annual revenue generates enough money to build four homes each year, or about $297,000.

Greater public awareness of the stores, its mission, and efforts to keep materials out of landfills has helped increase sales over the years, Howard says. The current economy also has contributed to keeping busy.