Score at the Re-Store

I knew we had picked the right neighborhood to move to last year when I saw the Habitat for Humanity Re-Store located right around the corner from our house. The concept is that the store sells gently used and new hardware and household items to generate funds for their building projects. The experience is sort of like going into your grandfather's shed in hopes that you might score the perfect item for your project at a fraction of the price. The great thing is that there is a regular retail store not far away, so I often stop in at the Re-Store and if I can't find what I'm looking for, I just walk a few more minutes to find what I need.

Last fall, my father-in-law built me a counter for folding and crafts in my laundry room out of a kitchen counter we bought there for $5. We were also able to get the hardware for the project and a light fixture for the room, also $5. He even picked up a few hand-tools we needed to do the job. We did have to buy wood to make the supports at a regular store. My plan is to surround the bottom of the counter with pretty fabric and to store laundry baskets and extra linens there. Photos to come.

Today, my mission was to find hinges and knobs for a set of closet doors we want to hang in the basement. The hinges there were all about $1 each and in good shape, but I was not able to find a set of 4 that matched in the size I needed (my plan was to spray paint them all, so metal finish was not an issue). Basic ones ended up costing about double elsewhere. I did, however, find knobs for the door that I can paint and that were in the original packaging for $1 (saved about enough for my next Starbucks latte)!

Overall, I would definitely suggest checking this place out, especially if you are not in a rush, only need one piece or a small amount of a product and have time to browse through the store. It also takes some imagination to figure out how something might work if it were painted or cleaned or used in a different way. For example, I see a lot of projects that use doors for headboards - what a great place to find an old door to re-purpose!

323 Bath Road, Kingston, Ontario
Habitat for Humanity

DIY Rating: 7