New monthly sales record in June

We were hoping to have a strong month to end the fiscal year.  In the middle of June we had a one week sale, which was heavily advertised, to push sales. We had such a strong month that it was the best sales month we have ever had.  Sales have been getting stronger as we become better known in the area through advertising and word-of-mouth.

Thank you to all the customers, donors, and volunteers who have made this success possible.

Week long sale

To celebrate the end of our first full fiscal year in our new location we are having a week long sale.  During the week of June 17-21 everything in the store will be 20% off the listed price.

We also have a DIY demonstration on Saturday, June 21st.  The Paint-It Lady, Beth Delligatti, will be at the store to transform pieces of furniture.  The furniture will be done over in French Country and Shabby Chic Styles.  The demonstrations will be at 10:30 and 11:30.  She will also have some of her other works on display.

Saving landfill space

Since I started working at the ReStore I find myself taking a closer look at items that I see by curbs waiting for trash pick-up.  So often I see items that are perfectly usable and wonder why someone would throw these things away rather than donate them to us or some other resale shop.  

Certainly many people are not familiar with the Habitat ReStore but there are many other places that take donations that almost everyone has heard of.  I'm sure many people just assume that if they no longer see value in the item that no one will.  Other people can't be bothered.  They feel it is just easier to put it by the curb and let the trash collectors take it.  

Our ReStore picks up donations.  We even go into homes to get items so it isn't necessary to even put it by the curb.  We just don't carry things up or down stairs.  Donors also get a receipt to get a tax deduction.  

Several years ago I grabbed a chair that someone left by the curb for trash pick-up.  It would need to be refinished to look its best but it is a good, solid chair. The people who were throwing it out were moving and didn't want to take it with them.  I can certainly understand that but why not give it to someone or an organization that can use it and keep it out of the landfill?

  

Sale Saturday 17, 2014

Tomorrow, May 17th, the ReStore will have another of its monthly sales.  Everything in the store will be 10% off the ticketed price.  The store is well stocked with furniture, doors, windows, bathroom vanities, artwork, and other items for home repair and improvement projects.

Select art works on sale

If your walls need are looking too bare, now is a good time to find something to liven them.  The ReStore is having a sale on art work.  Items with a star on the price tag (like the one below) will be discounted 20% off the price on the tag. We have a large number of framed print and original works.  The sale will continue until the end of the day Friday, May 16th.

Sale 4/19/2014

The ReStore will have a sale tomorrow April 19th.  All items in the store will be 10% off listed price. The ReStore will be open its regular hours of 9am-4pm.

New monthly and yearly sales record

March was a record month for the ReStore.  Not only did we have our best month ever we reached our best sales year ever with three months remaining in the fiscal year.

Most of our customers come to us after hearing about us from a friend or relative.  Thank you to everyone who talks about the ReStore.  It is mainly through your efforts that we continue to grow.

Delaware Home & Garden Show

The ReStore will once again have a table at the Delaware Home and Garden Show.  The home show will be next weekend, March 29th and 30th, at the Chase Center on the Wilmington Riverfront.  On Saturday the home show will run from 10-6 and 11-4 on Sunday.  Home improvement and other companies and organization attend the Home Show to have an opportunity to discuss their company with potential customers.  It is an opportunity for consumers who are considering work on a home to talk to various companies who can do the work.

ReStore staff will be manning the table to discuss the store and how to donate.

DIY class and store sale on Saturday

Saturday, March 15th we will have a Do-it-Yourself class at the ReStore.  From 10am-2pm Habitat construction staff will be teaching how to install hardwood flooring.  We have a great deal of new hardwood flooring available for sale.

Saturday will also be a sale day.  Everything in the store will be 10% off the posted price.  This could be the optimal time to pick up supplies for spring and summer projects and maybe add installing new floors to your list of planned projects.

Friendly facebook competition

Ever since the ReStore began its facebook page we have noticed that our likes are growing faster than the New Castle County Habitat's facebook page.  Considering that everyone has heard of Habitat for Humanity but not everyone has heard of the Habitat ReStore we felt it would be quite an accomplish to equal the affiliates like count.

It has taken a few years but we finally caught up a few weeks ago.  Since then the lead has gone back and forth a few times.  In the past few days we have started to open up a lead.  At this time we are ahead by 27 likes.

If you haven't already please check out our facebook page.  We update regularly with sale items that are unique or of a high quality.  We also add information about upcoming store events and sales.

Hardwood flooring at the ReStore

We have received a huge amount of hardwood flooring.  Currently we have Oak Natural on the sales floor. Maple, French Oak, Black Water and Butterscotch Oak will also be available for sale soon.  The flooring is wrapped in 16.3 sq. ft. quantities.  The Oak Natural is $24 per bundle.  The price on the rest of the flooring will probably be slightly higher.  We expect to have more out tomorrow morning.  Call the store, like us on facebook, or stop in the store for more information.

Snow days

We are hoping we are done with all the snow and ice that has hit the Wilmington area this winter.  The ReStore has had to close or open late a few times due to the weather.  Not only do we lose a sale day but people are less likely to be doing work around the house in bad weather so a difficult winter hurts sales even on days we are open.

We are also having logistics nightmares trying to re-schedule donation pick-ups.  Even if we are open and going on pick-ups we are having trouble getting to some due to road conditions.  On days we are closed we have to rearrange all the pick-ups from that day.  Since we are booked up for two weeks we have to move the postponed pick-ups to a day that is already fully booked.  Tomorrow we have the day double booked and will rent a truck to be able to go on all the extras pick-ups.  If it snows tomorrow as expected we will have even more trouble squeezing tomorrow's schedule into other days.

The weather is supposed to improve after this weekend so things should improve at the ReStore.

Miss Delaware USA's visit to the ReStore

Today's visit from Miss Delaware USA, Kelsey Miller, was a big success.  Kelsey greeted customers and signed autographs.  We had a large number of people coming to the store to meet her.  We appreciate her giving her time to help promote the ReStore and the work that we do to support Habitat for Humanity's building efforts in New Castle County.  Good luck to Kelsey in the Miss USA pageant this summer.

Miss Delaware to visit ReStore

The current Miss Delaware, Kelsey Miller, will be at the ReStore on Saturday, February 8th.  Miss Miller will meet customers, pose for photos, and sign autographs.  She will be competing in the Miss USA 2014 pageant this summer.

Also on February 8th we will be having a storewide sale.  All items at the store will be 10% off for that day.

Smart Talk using ReStore furniture for staging

Smart Talk, a subscription only speaker series at the DuPont Theatre, is using furniture from the ReStore onstage.  The program features lectures from various women.  The lectures are scheduled once a month until May.  The upcoming lectures will feature Vy Higginsen in February, Sigourney Weaver in March, Melissa Stockwell in April, and Tina Brown in May.

The sofa, chairs, lamps, and other furniture used in the series are borrowed from the ReStore.  After the series these items will be available on the sales floor.

Conventional and creative uses for ReStore purchases

The other day while walking home from a grocery store a neighbor asked me if I had a few spare minutes.  Maria is a regular customer of the ReStore and wanted to show me all the things she has bought in the store.  Her appliances were from the ReStore.  She is an artist and buys a lot of artwork from the store to use the frames.  Our artwork is priced based on the value of the art but many people buy just for the frames.  We often have simple framed prints for $15 or less.

One of the things I found most interesting in Maria's house was a bench she made.  She used a headboard from the ReStore as the back.  The bench itself was a wooden box with a cushioned, removable top so the bench could be used for storage.  We have several wall mount headboards.  Some of our customers convert them so they can be used with a bed frame but using one as a back for a bench is another option.

We always like to see some of the useful and creative ways customers have used items bought at the ReStore.  If anyone would like to e-mail pictures to restore@habitatncc.org it helps to give other customers ideas for purchases.