Joy's Happy-tat!

We were so happy to give Ms. Joy the keys to her brand new Habitat home on September 10th! She was very rightly named because whenever she is around, joy fills the room, and Thursday afternoon was no exception. To see the sheer happiness on her face as she went into her home for the first time is something everyone there will remember and cherish forever. 

We cannot thank everyone who helped make this possible enough, but we will surely try! We would like to give a special thanks to -

Tony Dunser from True Grit who painted the beautiful red doors and the trim

Savage Tree Service

Mike Williams who did the electrical work

Baldwin Sand and Gravel

Brandon Dozier and Curt Schumacher for helping removing the large tree in the backyard

Lighting Unlimited 

Grass Pro Plus for doing the landscaping

Shane Glasgow

Parker Drywall

Paint Magic

Sqwincher

Rock Bottom Furniture 

Thank you to all the volunteers who worked countless weekends at the job site, our Board Members, ReStore Volunteers and staff, and of course thank you to our fabulous donors and shoppers! You all are the reason this ministry can help provide affordable housing to our homeowners!

Ms. Joy's home will always hold a very special place with me because it was the first home built with me as the new Store Manager, and Joy has become a very dear friend to everyone in the store. It is a great honor to be a part of something that is bettering the lives of others in our community.

God bless you all.

-Emily Godwin, ReStore Manager

Thursday and Friday in the ReStore

 

Hey, everyone! I decided to combine the Thursday and Friday posts because a lot of the same things happen while we are open to the public for sales.

Thursday morning is when we make all the puzzle pieces lock together. From the time we get into the store at 8:00 until we open the doors at 12:00, we stay busy putting final touches on displays, double checking prices on the smaller items, and pricing the large furniture items on the floor. Something a lot of people don’t know is that we research every item that has any kind of identifier on it. If it has brand name on it, we look up that company and then take a considerable amount off the online price.

Every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday before we open the doors, we get together as a team. We discuss what each person will be doing in the store while we’re open, discuss any updates on the houses we’re building, and we always close it with a prayer of thanks to the Lord for all the many blessings this ministry continues to see. Once the doors are open, the staff and volunteers go to work helping shoppers. Everyone here has such a passion for helping others and that energy is so contagious that you can’t help smiling when you’re here.

Some things have changed since I took over as store manager, but one thing that will never change is how grateful we are for every shopper and donor that comes to our store. Each of you are such a blessing to us, and we love seeing you guys every week.

 

-Emily Godwin, ReStore Manager.

Wednesday at the ReStore

Wednesday is the busiest day of the week for us here at the ReStore! It's the day the store transforms from a work-in-progress to the beautifully displayed store that you all see Thursdays at 12! It takes a lot of hard work from a lot of people to make it all go as smoothly as it does every week. We are extremely blessed to have such talented volunteers!

Most of the staging in the store is done by two very special volunteers. Shirley and Jennifer come every Wednesday to work their magic in every area of the store. They have such an amazing eye for what works together and how to create and improve the look of every vignette! One of the biggest compliments we get here is how beautiful the store looks, and we make sure to pass that on to them!

On Wednesdays, we have a flawless team in the back working on pricing and putting the merchandise out on the floor. Ms. Barbara, Ms. Deborah, and Ms. Bronwyn are three of our main Wednesday volunteers who help the staff clean, price, and get the donations on the shelves. They all work fabulously as a team, and the ReStore is always a happier place with such wonderful volunteers.

The Assistant ReStore Managers - Chelcee and Matthew -  and our Donation Ambassadors - Kalib, Emily, and Diane - help to make sure that the store is organized and that everything is running smoothly. They take in donations, place furniture, clean the store, and overall help wherever help is needed. Occasionally, we work in a few donation pick-ups on Wednesdays, but we try to stay in store as much as possible because of how much has to happen so quickly! 

We've never had a dull day at the store, and I doubt we ever will! That's what makes working here so much fun!

-Emily Godwin, ReStore Manager.

Tuesday at the ReStore

 Tuesdays are the ReStore are much more fast-paced than Mondays. We try to schedule are largest pick-ups on Tuesdays to make sure we have the large items in the store and ready for the volunteers who help stage the store. This week, we had a donation so large that it took two trips to get it all! I find we are never in short supply of blessings at the Habitat ReStore.

Our Donation Ambassadors spend the majority of Tuesdays out of the store. We fit in as many donation pick-ups as possible on Day 2. Some times we have up to 6 or 7 scheduled in a day. So, if you see the Habitat truck out, make sure to say hi to Kalib, Emily, and Matthew. They are always out on the road picking up great new merchandise!

Inside the store, the volunteers and staff members are working hard to get the new items cleaned and priced. Today they put out 30 shopping carts full of merchandise! With all the hard work being done, it can get a little messy in the store as the new merchandise waits to be processed, but it doesn't bother us. Having a hard time figuring out where to put the items is never a bad problem to have - it's a blessing! 

In between pick-ups and processing, we organize the shelves, work on mark-downs, and test any product that needs to be tested. While organizing, we make sure that no sets of merchandise have been separated and that they aren't due for a price reduction. Price reductions vary on how long the item has been in the store and how many of the item we have it. Our staff and volunteers have been trained to spot when it is time to slash the price and give it a new one.

We also work on disassembling old displays and deciding what items to feature this week instead. It's always fun trying to decide which pieces will look good together and what item makes the look whole! 

Tuesdays are fast-paced, but they're not nearly as action-packed as Wednesdays! Make sure you check back in here tomorrow after we post the Weekly Walk-Through to see how we make the store transform!

-Emily Godwin, ReStore Manager.