Frugal, environmentally conscious consumers are discovering a fourth “R” — reduce, reuse, recycle and rebuild. With most of the nation’s housing stock now 30 years or older, legions of homeowners are updating kitchens, remodeling bathrooms and updating lighting and floors. In Minneapolis, where the average age of homes is nearly 40 years, two nonprofits selling used building materials have recently opened a block away from each other — Habitat for Humanity ReStore and Better Futures Minnesota ReUse Warehouse.
“On the one hand we’ve got a person on Lake Minnetonka taking out hardwood floors and cabinetry and on the other is a millennial who wants to give new life to old things,” said Nick Swaggert, vice president of business development and operations at Better Futures. Many retailers are struggling to compete with the convenience and often lower prices online, but home improvement retailers like Menards, Home Depot and Lowe’s are sheltered somewhat because their items are often too bulky or too “hands-on” to order online. “Home improvement retail is very much a bright spot in an otherwise weakish consumer environment,” said Brian Nagel, a senior equity analyst at Oppenheimer.
With many homes over 30, trend experts expect homeowners to tackle remodeling projects as long as the economy remains strong. Thrift stores such as Habitat ReStores, now at 875 locations nationwide and 15 in Minnesota, are riding the wave too. Sales at the new location, which opened in September, are exceeding expectations. “Our New Brighton store is doing $1 million a year, and we hope the Minneapolis store will match that in two or three years,” said Pete O’Keefe, senior manager of operations at Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity.
Simon Johnson, 27, of Minneapolis shopped the new store last week for a used washer and dryer. “Why pay new when there are some great older pieces of good quality?” he asked. “I believe in recycling instead of tossing.”
Customers can find a hit or miss assortment of kitchen cabinets, paint, doors, lumber, appliances, lighting, furniture, windows, trim, plumbing and furniture at the home improvement thrift stores.
Prices on used goods are 50 percent to 90 percent less. New items show up too. Just as some clothing thrift stores augment their used items with new socks or jewelry, ReStore buys new goods such as prepackaged nuts and bolts.
They also network constantly for samples or overstocks. Valspar, Lowe’s and kitchen remodelers have made recent contributions. Mark Lampman, a longtime customer in New Brighton who became a Habitat for Humanity volunteer, has purchased items for his home, rental property and his daughter’s place. “I like to remodel, so I’ve added a deck, a second story on a house, a kitchen set, new appliances from a model home, a backyard greenhouse, slider doors and commercial skylights,” he said. “I’ve spent $1,600 for stuff that would’ve cost $10,000 new.”
To read the full story, visit http://www.startribune.com/thrift-stores-for-building-materials-ride-the-re-use-wave/400089161/.