Community Corner

Habitat for Humanity Store Readies for Aug. 20 Grand Opening

Dozens gathered for a sneak preview of the store, which will raise money for Habitat for Humanity of East King County's local projects.

The new Habitat for Humanity Store on Bel-Red Road is getting ready for its public, as staff get ready for its Saturday grand opening.

At its recent sneak preview and ribbon cutting on Thursday, shelves and the floor were prepared with donated furniture, artwork, paint, fixtures and cabinetry, all to be sold to raise money for Habitat for Humanity of East King County's housing projects on the Eastside.

The store, which occupies 10,000 square feet of retail space at 13500 Bel-Red Rd., also raises the profile of the issue of the lack of affordable housing on the Eastside, said Bellevue City Councilman John Chelminiak, one of several speakers at the sneak preview event.

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"It's a real issue in this community, and we have to figure out how to keep people in affordable housing," he said. "The store raises the profile of Habitat for Humanity. It also offers the opportunity to raise the profile of the need for affordable housing."

The store also provides alternative volunteer opportunities with Habitat for Humanity of East King County, said Tom Granger, executive director for the nonprofit.

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"Some of our volunteers are not comfortable with climbing a scaffold," he said.

The store also promotes reusing items that might have otherwise been headed to a landfill, he said.

Unlike other ReStores that offer donated and reused building materials including Sheetrock, wood and doors, the Bellevue store will focus on home decor furnishings and fixtures. Donations of building materials will go to Second Use, a Seattle building materials salvage company that will donate some of its sales to Habitat for Humanity.

"Second Use is also an extension of our ability to sell and share in the profits," Granger said. "We have a longtime relationship with Second Use, which we value."

Granger said in his remarks to the sneak preview crowd that the store also offers an opportunity for the nonprofit to create ties to the local construction industry.

Habitat for Humanity of East King County has housing projects in Issaquah, which will hand off the keys to the new owners next week, and in Renton and aims to start a project in Sammamish, Granger said. The nonprofit helps low-income families become homeowners by organizing volunteers to build homes, which are purchased by the families for no profit. The families also help out with the building of their home or other homes in the program.

The nonprofit was fortunate to be able to affordably secure a location at a shopping center that includes and , he said.

Granger said that the store aims to stock high quality furnishings, fixtures and cabinetry.

"We're in Bellevue. The donor base and the consumer base have certain expectations, and we hope to meet these," Granger said.

If you go

The Grand Opening of the store will be from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 13500 Bel-Red Road, Bellevue. Family activities are planned from 10 a.m. to 2  p.m.


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