CRESTVIEW — The opening of Crestview’s Habitat for Humanity ReStore is great news for resident Diane Bianchi.
“I love having it here!” she said. “Now we don’t have to go down to Freeport or Fort Walton.”
Bianchi was among residents who had periodically stopped by the Ferdon Boulevard store while it was under construction, inquiring when it would open.
Watch video of the Crestview Area Chamber of Commerce's ribbon cutting at Habitat for Humanity ReStore>>
The ReStore, which opened May 30, includes furniture, cabinetry, appliances, ceiling fans, area rugs and building supplies.
“It’s recycling and repurposing,” Habitat Community Outreach Director Melissa Forte Litscher said. “We’re keeping things out of the landfill. It’s a win-win-win. It benefits our partners, it benefits our donors and it benefits the community.”
Donors — many, contractors who contribute materials left from building sites — receive tax donation receipts, Forte Litscher said.
“It’s good-quality merchandise,” store manager Billie Meyer said.
“We thrive on good stuff,” ReStore Director Jack Robinson said. “That’s what separates us from a thrift store.”
During a Crestview Area Chamber of Commerce ribbon-cutting on Tuesday, families and chamber members browsed furnishings and supplies including leather living room sets, an upright piano and boxes of floor tile.
“The donations come in and we just never know what we’re going to get,” Forte Litscher said.
That’s part of the store’s appeal, Bianchi said. She likes regularly visiting ReStores to see what new merchandise has arrived since her last visit.
“I love their stores,” she said. “I need a semi to bring home all the stuff I want.”
WANT TO GO?
Habitat for Humanity’s newest Crestview home — at 148 Booker St. — will be featured June 6-14 in the 36th Annual Parade of Homes. It is furnished entirely from the ReStore, 595 Ferdon Blvd. N.
Email News Bulletin Staff Writer Brian Hughes, follow him on Twitter or call 850-682-6524.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview ReStore saves 'good-quality' merchandise from landfill