Thanks to the persistence of its leaders, and a little finesse from the city of Goleta, the Santa Barbara chapter of Habitat for Humanity has opened its ReStore store in the Cabrillo Business Park in Goleta.
“We are really excited to have our ribbon-cutting today and for our ReStore, and we are really looking forward to Saturday, when we open our doors to the public,” said Joyce McCullough, executive director of the local Habitat for Humanity.
Through ReStore, people who have used or unused building materials can donate them before disposing of them, and those who are in search of materials — doors, windows, countertops and plumbing, for instance — can find them for 30 percent to 50 percent of the cost.
“The donors get a tax deduction, the builders don’t have to take the material to the dump and we get proceeds to fund our projects,” McCullough said.
The organization is working on its San Pascual project, a housing project at 618 San Pascual St. in Santa Barbara meant for lower-income families.
The 5,000-square-foot building was already packed to the point of overflow, despite the organization’s efforts to keep its operation under wraps until its official grand opening Saturday.
Were it not for a little nudge through the process by the Goleta Planning Commission, ReStore would not have opened for a while: Earlier this year, city planners granted a conditional use permit that allowed for a retail operation in a business park.
For its first few weeks of operation, ReStore will be open two days a week — Thursday morning and Saturday afternoon — but as the program acquires more staff and volunteers, the store will have more business hours throughout the week.
The store takes only material in good condition, Habitat’s Bill McCullough said. “We take material you have to be proud to pass on to someone else,” he said.
ReStore will not take furniture or appliances. Donors are encouraged to schedule pickups and drop-offs of large items.
For more information, call Habitat for Humanity of Southern Santa Barbara County at 805.692.2226 or visit www.sbhabitat.org.
Noozhawk staff writer Sonia Fernandez can be reached at sfernandez@noozhawk.com.