Habitat for Humanity ReStore to celebrate grand opening Saturday in Montgomery Township

Habitat for Humanity of Montgomery and Delaware Counties will celebrate the grand opening of its new 44,000-square-foot ReStore in Montgomery Township on Saturday morning, marking a major expansion of the nonprofit’s efforts to support affordable housing across the region.

The celebration will begin with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 8:30 a.m., followed by the store opening to the public at 9 a.m. at 1200 Welsh Road in the Montgomery Commons Shopping Center. 

The event will feature remarks from local elected officials, Habitat leadership and community partners, along with store tours, music from a live DJ and light refreshments. The grand opening celebration is being supported by Ardent Credit Union, the event’s sponsor.

Earlier this week, an anonymous donor sent via FedEx a mountain of high-end gear, including a $500 suit.

    

    

    

The new facility is among the largest Habitat ReStores in the country, offering more than 44,000 square feet of donated merchandise, including furniture, appliances, building materials, clothing and home goods available for purchase. Proceeds from the store directly support Habitat’s work building and repairing homes for families in Montgomery and Delaware counties, while also serving as a regional hub for reuse and donation.

Habitat officials said the expanded space will allow the organization to accept and process more donated goods, improve the experience for shoppers and donors, and generate additional funding for affordable housing programs. According to CEO Keith Sterling, the ReStore model relies heavily on community support, with donations from residents and businesses sold to the public to help fund Habitat’s mission.

“The ReStore model is powerful because it’s entirely community supported,” Sterling said in a statement. “Donations from local residents and businesses are purchased by members of the same community, and those proceeds help create jobs, repair homes, and expand affordable homeownership opportunities.”

The new store represents the next phase of a project that began last year with the opening of a ReStore donation center in Lansdale Borough, where residents could begin dropping off items ahead of the Montgomery Township location’s launch. The larger store replaces the former 2nd Ave. Thrift Store and Half-Off Store spaces at Montgomery Commons.

Habitat ReStores operate as nonprofit thrift stores and donation centers selling new and gently used furniture, appliances, building materials and household goods at reduced prices. Revenue generated helps Habitat for Humanity build strength, stability and self-reliance through affordable housing projects locally and worldwide.

Community members are invited to attend Saturday’s grand opening and learn more about how the ReStore supports Habitat’s housing initiatives throughout the region. Donations can be dropped off during regular store hours, and large commercial donations can also be arranged directly through the organization.

Below is a list, provided by Habitat ReStore, of items it will accept:

• Left shoes We believe in second chances)
• Right shoes (It’s only fair)
• The clothes from that part of the closet (Yes, THAT part — no judgment)
• Things you bought on your trip to the beach because they had your name on them
• Tables with four legs (or three, if it’s doing its best)
• Your fancy family China set (Don’t worry, we won’t tell Grandma)
• Cups, wine glasses, and Laura’s coffee mug. (Laura, seriously. Let it go)
• The giant skeleton decoration — truly a sound financial investment
• Pots and pans that leap from cabinets like they’re in a cooking competition
• That treadmill buried under a pile of “optimism”
• That couch and chair set that never matched anything (You tried, we see you)
• The dresser (Because it’s too full)
• The clothes (Because your dresser is too small — we’ve all been there)
• End tables
• Start tables
• Middle tables (Yes, we’ll complete your table trilogy)
• We amore armoires
• “Bookcases” full of junk and guilt — we’ll take both
• Fresh coffee. Tables. Fresh coffee tables.
• Bed frames, framed beds, framed art, framed puzzles — all the frames
• Kitchen gadgets/appliances (Even the avocado slicer you used once)
• Waffle makers, fondue sets, popcorn machines — we salute your Pinterest phase
• Bread makers (Because every thrift store is part of the bread maker circle of life)
• Mirrors — We love them. They love us back.
• Tools — especially the four hammers and two mystery wrenches you might need someday
• Christmas decorations — it’s summer, Brenda. Set them free.
• Accent chairs (even the loud ones that never knew their place)
• The dining chairs, and dining table, that you use, all the time.
• Patio furniture (Bonus points if it doesn’t come with a wasp nest)
• Glassware, glass there, glass from everywhere
• Plates. Frisbees. Frisbee plates.
• Bowls. Balls. Bowling balls. (Why not?)
• The #1 Mom & Dad trophies. (Rare, but we know they’re out there somewhere)
• Silverware — even the real silver
• Serving dishes / Stray cat food feeders
• Bakeware (No questions about how it got into your trunk)
• Books (If it has pages, we’ll take it)
• Magazines (Bonus if they aren’t from 1998)
• CDs (We love a good throwback)
• DVDs (We are your backup streaming service)
• Vinyl records (Yes, we’re that hip)
• Gloves (Left & right)
• Belts (Too big or too small)
• Purses (With or without money)
• Backpacks
• Jewelry (Even the diamonds and pearls)
• Linens (Sheets, towels, blankets — even the one with cartoon ducks)
• Curtains
• Rugs
• Picture frames (With or without that one vacation photo)
• Artwork (We appreciate all creative phases, even abstract confusion)
• The 10 flower vases you got free with the roses
• Decorative things you forgot you owned but still feel oddly guilty about

Yes, we take building materials too (We’re kind of handy like that):

• Lumber (Usable lengths — we’re not wizards)
• Plywood / skateboard ramps
• Drywall (Full sheets or close enough)
• Tiles (New, in boxes — not your leftover grout-dusted 7-pack)
• Flooring (Laminate, hardwood, vinyl — new and boxed, please)
• Doors (Interior, exterior, mysterious — we don’t ask)
• Windows (Unbroken. Please. We’re not glaziers.)
• Sinks
• Toilets (Clean — we cannot emphasize this enough)
• Light fixtures (Bonus if they don't flicker ominously)
• Electrical supplies (Outlets, switches, wire — shocking stuff!)
• Plumbing supplies (Pipes, fittings, dreams of fixing a leak solo)

Oh, And These Too:

• Garden tools (Even if the only thing you’ve grown is regret)
• Flower pots (With or without dirt — we’re pot positive)
• Sports gear (As long as it hasn’t retired itself)
• Musical instruments (Yes, even if they only play one note now)
• Toys (Clean, complete, and ideally not haunted)
• Board games (We’ll find the missing piece ... eventually)
• Puzzles (Same rules apply)
• Craft supplies (Glitter tolerated, but not encouraged)
• The sewing machine you swore you would learn to use
• Yarn (Fluffy donations are our favorite donations)
• Fabric (For those “learn to sew” plans)
• Bicycles (With or without a rusty past)

About Habitat for Humanity ReStores

Habitat for Humanity ReStores are nonprofit home improvement stores and donation centers that sell building materials, appliances, new and gently used furniture, and home accessories at a fraction of the retail price. In fiscal year 2024 alone, Habitat ReStores raised over $142 million to help support Habitat’s mission while also diverting reusable material from landfills. With more than 1,000 stores in eight countries, Habitat ReStores use their proceeds to help build or improve homes locally and around the world. To shop, donate, or volunteer, visit Habitat.org/restores.

Habitat for Humanity of Montgomery and Delaware Counties (Habitat MontDelco) is driving its ReStore program forward with ambitious plans for growth. Under new leadership, Habitat MontDelco is launching a flagship anchor ReStore in the Montgomery Commons shopping center (Montgomery Township), overcoming past locational challenges and setting the stage for expansion. This store, projected to be among the largest nationally, is the first step in a five-year goal to establish at least six ReStore locations across Montgomery and Delaware Counties. Every purchase and donation at a Habitat MontDelco ReStore directly supports the organization's mission, with net proceeds funding affordable homeownership and critical home repair programs throughout the local community.

About Habitat for Humanity of Montgomery and Delaware Counties

 Habitat for Humanity of Montgomery and Delaware Counties ("HFHMDC") has dedicated over 35 years to providing affordable homeownership opportunities and other supportive services for income-qualified households across Montgomery and Delaware Counties. Since our inception in 1989, we have provided 112 affordable mortgages and have served over 250 owner-occupied households through the provision of critical health, safety, and accessibility repairs, with a specific focus on veteran and older adult households. Looking ahead, our affiliate has been awarded nearly $10,000,000.00 over the next 3-6 years. While these funds are beneficial, they are limited to specific uses, predominantly for capital expenses in these areas, such as the building of new housing units and the repair and rehabilitation of existing ones.

In order to keep pace with the ever-outsized demand for affordable housing and related services, HFHMDC has made structural changes to key departments, such as scaling staff and offering competitive wage rates to create sustainable programming models. This has included doubling our Home Repair program staff, as well as planning to scale our Construction Department to continue to increase our output of affordable mortgage opportunities. In this economic climate, and especially resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, the conversation on the need for comprehensive housing solutions is encouraging, and funding is being made available, largely by governmental entities. Over the next 1.5 years alone, through a $7.2M contract with Delaware County, HFHMDC is committed to serving nearly 200 households through our Home Repair program. Additionally, we intend to identify, acquire, rehabilitate, and sell (affordably) at least 20 housing units over the next 3 years. Both of these aims far outpace previous performance by HFHMDC and rise to the challenge of meeting the housing needs that exist across Montgomery and Delaware Counties.