Habitat for Humanity ReStore Returns to Santa Barbara, This Time on State Street

Habitat for Humanity ReStore
Returns to Santa Barbara,
This Time on State Street

New Location Offers High-Quality
Home Goods at a Steep Discount,
All in the Name of Affordable Housing

By Tyler Hayden | Photos by Elaine Sanders
September 3, 2026

Read more Home & Garden Fall 2026 stories here.

Habitat for Humanity’s newly opened ReStore in downtown Santa Barbara sure doesn’t feel like a secondhand outlet.

High ceilings, good natural light, and clear signage make the space feel closer to your conventional home-furnishings retailer. Donated tables, couches, and chairs (all in remarkably good shape) are carefully arranged; artwork is prominently displayed; and the back room is filled (but still organized) with tools, appliances, fixtures, and construction materials.

It’s a far cry from the former warehouse-style ReStore in Goleta that appealed to determined pickers and was forced to close during the pandemic. But its purpose remains the same: All proceeds from the new State Street location are funneled toward Habitat for Humanity’s mission to produce, preserve, and protect affordable housing here in southern Santa Barbara County. 

Most items are priced 50 percent below their estimated retail value, with some discounted even further if they linger on the sales floor. That rarely happens, however. “Stuff goes quick,” said Susan Renehan, Habitat Santa Barbara’s director of philanthropy and external affairs.

As we meandered through the 8,000-square-foot space, pausing to admire a collection of chandeliers, Renehan explained how the ReStore is meant to do more than sell donated goods. It’s also a storefront for the nonprofit itself. “A lot of Habitat for Humanity’s work happens behind the scenes,” Renehan said, with the organization’s efforts taking place on construction sites, in homes undergoing repairs, or through planning and fundraising efforts that most residents never see.

The ReStore, Renehan said, gives Habitat a place where people can walk in off the street, learn about what it does, and potentially become a volunteer or donor. QR codes point customers toward ways to get involved. Already, a number of high school students have joined the team.

All of that is necessary to fulfill a mission that is particularly difficult in a high-priced place such as Santa Barbara. “It’s especially tricky here,” Renehan said. “We want to do everything we can do to leverage opportunities here to create affordable housing.”

The organization is now next door to UCSB’s new downtown presence, while another venue is taking shape across Gutierrez Street. Restaurants, shopping, and other attractions surround the block. “It feels like it was meant to be,” Renehan said. “It’s exciting to be part of the downtown revitalization.” 

The store is also serving a critical environmental purpose by keeping reusable materials out of landfills. Habitat has relationships with local builders and remodelers who — instead of demolishing them — salvage cabinets, fixtures, and other materials during deconstruction projects. Renehan said the extra effort involved can be relatively small compared to the benefit of giving useful items another life. 

The organization has already seen what she described as a “pent-up desire” to donate. One woman held onto her late husband’s tools specifically because she wanted them to go somewhere they would be used and appreciated.

One person who helped guide the build-out strategy of the new ReStore is Stephen Gordon, the founder of Restoration Hardware. Gordon joined Habitat Santa Barbara’s board in March 2025 and brought with him decades of retail and design experience. Renehan described his advice as “invaluable.”

Gordon said Habitat’s homeownership mission resonated with him personally. “When I was growing up, if you worked hard, you could own a house,” Gordon said when he joined the board. “I have long been enamored with Habitat for Humanity’s mission, and I’m focused on helping to make homeownership a reality for others despite significant current challenges.”

ReStore staff have been surprised by the amount of fine art that has been donated, along with antiques and other valuable pieces, Renehan said. Volunteers with backgrounds in art and antiques help evaluate those items. “We want to honor the quality and value of the donations but also make them accessible,” she said.

Employees test electrical and mechanical items before putting them on the sales floor, and drop-offs take place in a back parking lot. Already, Renehan said, one of the staff’s biggest jobs has been keeping the store stocked. “It’s a good problem to have,” she said. 

Storage space is finite, and because the ReStore is intended to generate money for affordable housing, staff must consider whether an item is likely to sell. The new store is consequently more selective than the old Goleta operation. When they cannot accept an item, Renehan said, staff try to point donors toward another organization that may be able to use it.

For Renehan and the rest of the crew, every donated chair, painting, tool, or light fixture is part of a larger cycle: An unwanted item stays out of the landfill, a customer gets something useful at a reasonable price, and Habitat receives funding it can put toward housing. The hope, she said, is that customers carry with them a sense of that “regenerative cycle of generosity that will continue long after they leave the store.”

The ReStore (400 State St.) is open Wednesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Drop-off hours are Wednesday through Friday from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Check sbhabitat.org/restore for a list of acceptable items.

Read more Home & Garden Fall 2026 stories here.