Habitat for Humanity ReStore

A photographer friend of mine in Winston-​Salem frequents the ReStore there for items to use in photo session. Since he finds good items at that location i decided to check out the Raleigh location.
Facility is large, and full of all types of home items: furniture, fixtures, cabinets, bathroom, doors, windows, and décor. I enjoyed going through the whole store and seeing the variety of things that were for sale.
Couple of things to know before buying anything. They have a no negotiation policy on the prices. However items with a dated price tag may be discounted depending on how long the items has been in the store. The store does not offer refunds or exchanges. They do give a short window of time to return appliances should they not work for a store credit. Everything is sold as is, and the profits of the store help fund Habitat for humanity projects.
I was pleased with the overall neatness of the presentation of items for sale. I went there to look for chairs to use in photo sessions. Thought the pricing was reasonable, and yes, the nicer condition items were priced higher than those in not as good condition. I purchased a Pier One Imports black bar stool with no nicks or damage for $ 50.
Do check EVERYTHING carefully though. They have a rack of music CD’s for $ 1 each, and I purchased six of them. Regretfully I didn’t open the CD cases before I made the purchase. When I got home I discovered two of the six were missing the CDs.
If you have time this is a good place to look around and see what’s available. As my friend in Winston-​Salem does, go often to see what’s available.

This is a super resource! They have whole sets of kitchen cabinets. There were several Kohler cast iron and enamel double bowl kitchen sinks. They were all marked $ 15. We were charged only $ 9 because it was discounted for having been there a while. (I am never going to hear the end of this.)
I found seven frosted glass sconce shades for $ 2 each. I am pretty sure we can make them work. But if they don’t we can drop them off at our local ReStore store.
They are worth a road trip from Asheville. (Sorry after several trips we haven’t seen anything reasonable in Asheville’s ReStore).

I admittedly need to give this place another try, but I felt like we couldn’t find anything that we really needed. I got some great antique hinges for a project I’m working on, but other than that we came away empty handed. It actually seems a little overpriced. I don’t mind paying more for a great cause, but a piece of really hammered particle board was almost $ 10. That’s almost how much a new piece at a hardware store is.
I had heard lots of wonderful things about their lumber selection here, and was almost giddy about checking it out. We build furniture and I would love to get some great deals on wood. But everything was in the back lot outside, was not organized or marked with prices, and most of it was rotted because it had been sitting in the rain. I guess for what I had in mind, it was just disappointing.

I, too, am a big fan of the Habitat for Humanity ReStore. I love two things in life more than nearly anything: the first is a worthwhile cause, and the second is saving money. Any opportunity to combine both of these causes is always a great thing. As has already been pointed out you can get some really amazing things at substantial discounts and the proceeds go towards building more Habitat for Humanity homes.
My very favorite light fixture in the foyer of my house is from here, as are a good many of the replacement light plates. I like to poke around the paints as well. You can get a gallon of very expensive interior paint for four dollars instead of forty that someone had mixed and didn’t pick up for whatever the reason and if you like it and need an additional gallon, you get it done by paying Sherwin Williams full price for the second gallon, thus saving yourself 40 bucks. I did that in my second bedroom. What a deal. There are always a wide wide variety of paint finishes and colors and it’s fun to look through them. Knock yourself out.

I’m a big fan of Habitat Restore. I have found some really good deals over the years. Just yesterday, I found a new, solid surface vanity top for only $ 10.00. It was too good of a deal to pass up. They carry lots of lighting fixtures, odds and ends and wholesale closeouts. The facility they currently occupy is only a few years old and the staff does a good job of keeping things organized.

The ReStore is such an excellent idea. My parents have been renovated their house constantly for the last five years, and almost everything they’ve used — from lumber to appliances — has been purchased at the ReStore. They have also constructed an entire commercial kitchen from restaurant equipment they’ve found here.
I don’t shop for building supplies much, but I still like to go and browse through all the cool stuff they have. Sometimes there are really amazing things, like giant pressure tanks and 200 foot lengths of firehose.
They know the value of the stuff they sell, so some of it can be pretty freaking expensive… but it’s always significantly cheaper than buying new, and sometimes you can haggle them down on the less popular items.