Habitat for Humanity’s ReStore Reopening in Downtown Santa Barbara

Among the storefronts lost to the COVID pandemic was Habitat for Humanity’s ReStore in Goleta, a staple for DIY home-improvers and contractors looking for good deals among its used but still usable building materials, furniture, and interesting objects. The nonprofit’s retail outlet will be opening its doors again this summer, this time in downtown Santa Barbara. Strangely enough, it’s taking the spot last occupied by another Habitat — Habitat Home & Garden — at State and Gutierrez.

“That is a fun quirk of this story,” said Susan Renehan, of the Southern Santa Barbara County Habitat for Humanity, noting that the two stores are not associated. Habitat Home & Garden had decided to consolidate its stores in San Luis Obispo, leaving the property at 400 State Street vacant last October.

Said Renehan, “This was just the right space with a beautiful front of house where people will be excited to shop and also a space where we can accept donations, and sort and prep for the floor.”

The ReStore had originally shared a Goleta parking lot with M. Special and the occasional weekend pizza-oven cart, and it had also housed Habitat’s offices. Renahan said, “It became clear during the pandemic that we couldn’t operate, couldn’t be open, and couldn’t accept donations. At the same time, we paid a significant monthly lease as well as our staff. If we couldn’t operate as a retail store, it just became unsustainable.” The ReStore closed its doors in August 2020 after an everything-must-go sale at the warehouse.

“We never lost the desire to reopen ReStore,” Renahan explained. The Habitat team spent more than a year looking for a good fit for their operation, even asking the community for suggestions on their website.

“Our board was a big part of this. They felt strongly that ReStore is a great way to keep materials out of the landfill and for folks to get beautiful items for their home,” Rehanan recounted.

Habitat for Humanity’s new store adds to the burgeoning energy on the 400 block. As well as owning the Soltara apartments next door on Gutierrez Street, UC Santa Barbara bought the former Staples building, said Robin Elander, who heads the Downtown Santa Barbara Improvement Association. The school is still soliciting ideas for the 18,000-square-foot space and is holding a 1st Thursday open house on March 5, 5-8 p.m. Elander’s new offices are on the 400 block, too, across the street from Habitat, as are some longtime presences such as the Adult Store and the Little Rainbow Foot Spa.

Renehan said Habitat was looking forward to adding its own vitality to the block and collaborating with the university and the city’s 1st Thursday events.

ReStore will start to come to life in mid-March, when Habitat plans to begin accepting donations. “We’ll be taking items that are used and in great condition, able to have a second life,” said Renahan. “We’ll take building materials, as well. If you have a bunch of tile left over from a backsplash project, or good quality and usable building materials, we can resell it. We have DIY folks and contractors who all come to shop for a bargain.”

All the funds — “100 percent,” said Renahan — go to Habitat’s mission to build new homes and to rehabilitate and rebuild existing homes. In fact, while ReStore’s been closed, Habitat’s staff worked out of a 103-year-old house on Cota Street that was subsequently renovated by volunteers and is now home to a low-income family that contributed their hands to help complete the project.

Habitat is planning a celebratory opening for ReStore this summer, on an as-yet-undetermined date, said Renehan. “Everyone is very excited, and we’ve been getting questions about ReStore for the last six years,” she remarked. “Our new social media readers are commenting on it, and volunteers are signing up to help us get it up and running.”

As for ReStore’s new stock, “We are an organization that preserves housing,” Renehan said. “If an item is a quality piece that needs a little elbow grease, we would accept it.” There’s a list at the website of the goods Habitat will accept; among them are newer HVAC units and appliances, home goods in their boxes, exercise equipment, trim and molding, clean lumber of less than six-foot lengths, sinks, tools, windows, kitchen cabinets, unopened construction materials, and artificial grass.