The ReStore Home Improvement Center has nearly tripled its retail space at the same location - 250 Albany Street in Springfield. Since opening in Fall 2001, The ReStore has quickly grown in popularity. "Every day more people are finding out about us and come here to shop, or want to donate items," says ReStore Marketing and Outreach Coordinator, Tammi McBath. "Our newly expanded space allows us to accept more donated materials and provide an even larger and more varied inventory for our customers."

The ReStore's inventory comes from donations made by hundreds of local homeowners, contractors, retailers, and manufacturers. Cabinets, doors, windows and other materials in excellent condition that have been removed from remodeled homes are picked up by the ReStore. Other materials are brand new surplus or mis-ordered items that warehouses or retailers don't want taking up space in their shops.

NESCOR, a home remodeling company in West Springfield that works with replacement windows and vinyl siding, likes donating to the ReStore because it meets an important need in the community. "It's a great opportunity to give back to the community. The ReStore provides a way for us to donate items from a job that we no longer have a use for. We can help someone who needs the materials and keep useful things out of the landfill, and it's a great benefit to us because we save on storage space and disposal costs," says NESCOR representative Diane Simonich.

Bob Goyette Jr., president of Heritage Homes, Inc. in Westfield, has donated items from his remodeling projects to the ReStore. The contractor first learned about the ReStore when one of his customers tried to donate his old materials to Habitat for Humanity. Habitat for Humanity was unable to take the items and referred him to the ReStore. The ReStore sent a staff person to the remodeling site to see the materials. And what began as a small donation of cabinets became much bigger, as the homeowners discovered that they could donate more items like plumbing fixtures, lighting fixtures, vanity sinks, windows and doors. "From our initial meeting with the ReStore representative on a walk thru at our remodeling job, our experience with the ReStore has been extremely positive," says Goyette. "It has enabled us to cut down on our disposal costs and at the same time reduce the impact on our local landfills. This positive environmental impact benefits us, as well as our building industry, and of course, our community as a whole. Our customers, in turn, are happier knowing that good, usable materials from their homes will have a new life somewhere else rather than just being discarded in a landfill."

All kinds of people come to the ReStore for many different reasons. Some people are looking for a great deal, as the prices are 50% to 65% below retail price. Others are looking for unique items, like claw-foot bathtubs, to decorate their house with. Many people like shopping at the ReStore because it helps the environment by keeping perfectly good items out of landfills. No matter what the reason, there is a growing market for recycled building materials.

Other stores similar to the ReStore like the Building Materials Resource Center in Roxbury, Massachusetts, Recycle North in Burlington, Vermont and The Arrow Reuse Center in Queens, New York, are popping up all over the country.

"It's really encouraging to see how quickly we've been able to grow," said Holly Milton-Benoit, Store Manager. "People are telling us that we offer something really valuable to the community. We provide donors with an easy way to reduce waste and storage costs, while helping the community and the environment. And we provide area do-it-yourselfers with affordable goods to help improve and beautify their homes."

The ReStore has a large box truck to pick up donated items or deliver items to customers. Those wishing to donate large amounts of materials should call the ReStore to set up an appointment for pick up. Small amounts of materials should be dropped off at the ReStore during business hours, but only after calling to make sure the items are usable.

The ReStore leases its space from Gasoline Alley Foundation, an incubator of sustainable and socially responsible entrepreneurs whose mission is to help the community. "We're excited about the expansion. Our partnership with the ReStore is a positive reflection of our mission at Gasoline Alley," says Steve Oneil, Executive Director of the Gasoline Alley Foundation.

The ReStore is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Anyone can donate to or shop at the ReStore. For more information, residents may call 413-788-6900 or visit www.restoreonline.org

The ReStore is the newest venture of the Center for Ecological Technology (CET), a 27- year-old local non-profit organization that provides practical and affordable environmental alternatives through reuse, recycling and energy and resource conservation. CET is funded in part by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.

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