COMMENT: ReStore brings social and environmental benefits to the community

(EDITOR’S NOTE: Habitat for Humanity’s new ReStore on Iber Road has a grand opening on Saturday, April 7 and it will be the organization’s third location in Ottawa. The store accepts donation of new and gently used items and salvageable building materials, then resells them to the public at a reduced cost. Kim Dingwall is a Stittsville resident and Habitat for Humanity volunteer, so we asked her to share why she’s looking forward to helping out at the new location.)

As soon as I heard about the new Iber Road Restore location I drove right over. It wasn’t open and I couldn’t see very much through the windows but I knew I had to be there and it had to be often. It’s just so handy and a great “garage sale”. I’ve volunteered with Habitat for Humanity before and I decided quickly to commit again for personal and business reasons.

My visits to the ReStores have uncovered some great treasures over the years. Mostly I up-cycled items or found something to finish off a project I was working on. Shopping there either inspired me or gave me exactly what I was seeking. I have to admit going to ReStore is more like an experience for me as its proven to be a big part of my creative process.

I have been in the new location a few times now and its inventory is truly impressive. There is hardware of all kinds, tools, windows and doors, tiles, plumbing and lighting fixtures, construction wood, architectural pieces, furniture and appliances. The ReStore receives both new and gently used donated items from the public and this means you will find classic, trendy, unique and unusual items for your home or cottage projects.

I love that I can point my clients to the ReStore as a place to donate household items and furnishings from a downsizing, decorating or home staging project. It just makes good sense to put this top of mind and apply this resource to my everyday business dealings. This place will really help every DIYer save a lot of money on the cost of renovation materials too. Often a piece of furniture or a new ceiling light is needed and now we have a local place to source these needed items at incredible prices.

It is in my mind that shopping at a ReStore is socially and environmentally friendly and that it keeps products out of landfills. The benefits are far too many to share here but I will remind that we have a landfill in our community, not far from Iber Road.

Another part of my reason for being involved this way is that the money made through the ReStore supports the work of Habitat for Humanity ,which is close to my heart. In 2010, I volunteered at Habitat’s Carp Road build in Stittsville and what an experience! Participating in, and watching how a community of giving people come together to make things happen for a single family was incredible. I learned a lot on Carp Road, about myself, my colleagues and my community. Giving is receiving was the biggest thing I learned. I saw how a group of people came together to make something happen for a family most of us had never met and likely might not see again.

So think of the new ReStore, and think of it often. Both donations and purchases help build homes so that new homeowners can build better lives for themselves and their families.

Please come into the store to see me I’d love to talk volunteering, up-cycling and renovating.

(Kim Dingwall is the Stittsville Stager and has operated Refined Rooms Property Styling since 2009 and Get ReFurnished, Ottawa’s furniture and accessory rental company. Kim co-founded the Canadian Association of Property Stylists to support and strengthen the evolving property styling industry in Canada.)