ReStore marks 10 years of low-cost home supplies

E ast Texans looking for vintage household accessories, or simply seeking good deals to help them complete a home renovation project, usually can find what they need at the Habitat ReStore, said manager Juneau Embry.

The store is celebrating its 10th anniversary with a half-price sale.

“We get a lot of donations from contractors, businesses and individuals,” Embry said. “The community has been very generous with their support, both in terms of donating and items and making purchases here.”

The store helps provide funding for Longview’s Habitat for Humanity, a program that helps economically disadvantaged people become homeowners. Ceiling fans, lights and cabinets are usually the most popular items in the store’s inventory, but it carries a wide variety of household projects, she said.

“Pretty much everything you’d find in a hardware store, we have here,” Embry said. “Our prices start at half-off retail and go down from there. Right now we’re having a sale to celebrate our 10th anniversary in Longview, in which all prices are half what they usually are.”

B.C. Spradling of Kilgore was shopping at the Habitat ReStore for the first time on Tuesday.

“I’m surprised at all the stuff they have here,” Spradling said. “I own several houses, most of which are 30 or more years old, so this should be a good venue for me to find replacement items I need.”

Ben Leonard of White Oak is a regular shopper and said he can almost always find something he needs at the store.

“I’m absolutely a fan of the ReStore and what it means,” Leonard said. “I’ve been in the construction business in the past, and I’ve seen how much good material simply goes to waste. This is an excellent way to put it to good use.”

Charlotte Allen was at the store with her mother, Donna Worrell. It was Allen’s first visit, but her mother is a regular shopper.

“We’re remodeling part of our house, which was built in the 1930s,” Allen said. “I figured this would be a good place to find doors that fit the character of our home.”

Worrell compared visiting the store to a treasure hunt.

“I come here a lot, because I never know exactly what I’ll find,” she said. “It’s just my way of having fun.”

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If you go

What: Habitat ReStore

When: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday-Saturday

Where: 300 W. Tyler St.

Cost: No admission charge, various prices for items

Contact: (903) 212-8453