If your couch is looking as tired as you do at the end of a working day, it may be time to inject some new life into your home furnishings.
At Habitat ReStore & Gallery, you can pick up a gently-used couch and chairs, dining tables, chests of drawers – and many more items in good condition – while also contributing to the welfare of the community.
The net proceeds of sales at Habitat ReStore help finance projects by the Bermuda chapter of Habitat for Humanity.
Furniture, household goods and decor items for sale at Habitat ReStore are donated by members of the public and localbusinesses. They are resold at greatly reduced prices compared with normal retail rates.
On a recent visit to the store on King Street, Hamilton, items for sale included a variety of comfortable couches for $400 apiece, a circular dining table and four chairs for $150, two half-moon tables for $50 each, a TV stand and entryway table for $150 each, a bookshelf for $50, an outdoor furniture set for $500, plus a variety of chairs, and sets of hina, cutlery and glassware. Delivery is available for a flat fee of $50.
Store manager Collin Cluett said people often furnish their entire home with purchases from the shop.
“We do that all the time. A lot of new people on the island will come in and buy. Just the last person I did, he got three beds, three sofas, four dressers, and a dining room table. He got everything through us, down to his forks and knives and his plates and his cups.
“It goes in seasons. At the beginning of the summer, there were about four brand new people on the island that furnished their entire place. But at that same time, there were probably five people leaving the island and we got their entire place.”
You need to be quick
Mr Cluett said turnover is often swift, so it’s advisable to keep checking back to keep on top of new inventory.
“It depends on the item. If it’s a good bed, sofa or dresser, sometimes it doesn’t even make it off the truck. Whoever’s in the store will see it and buy it.
“Otherwise, an hour or two, maybe a couple of days if you’re lucky. I brought in a really nice three-piece sofa set on a Friday afternoon. It was sold Saturday morning, so it’s very quick.”
He added: “That $100 to $500 price range is key. A lot of these items that you see at the $400 or $500 mark, they are $3,000-plus items if you were paying retail.
“Some new people on the island come in on a weekly basis and thank us for being here because there’s nowhere to go to get good, affordable furniture. The turnover here is remarkable.”
He said the shop’s inventory is “all community driven”.
“We do have a lot of corporate and office donations, especially of appliances and other larger items. Companies all know what we do, so anytime they’re doing upgrades in their offices, they will call us to see what we would want.
“Every day, the phone is ringing with people in the community wishing to donate. Sometimes, someone has passed away. Other people are moving away, or downsizing, or have ordered something that they just don’t like and then they’ll give it to us.
“I think we are very much front of mind for a lot of people because they do know how much their donations go back into the community.”
Donors include a supportive plumber, who donates toilets and sinks, while truckers have been known to drop by Habitat ReStore on the way to the dump with a client’s unwanted furniture.
Mr Cluett said: “If it’s decent and we have space, we’ll bring it inside.”
Supporting the vulnerable
Habitat for Humanity was founded in the United States in 1976. The local affiliate was established on the island as a registered charity in 2000.
It has adopted the Habitat model, ‘A Brush with Kindness’, which is about restoring neighbourhoods one home at a time by providing home renovations and refurbishments.
These projects aim to rectify common issues such as leaky roofs, mould, broken windows and doors, and severe electrical or plumbing problems which can lead to insecure and hazardous conditions for families.
Last year, the organisation completed 25 such projects. Taking on some larger undertakings this year, Habitat for Humanity was working on helping its 14th household of 2026 when RG Home met with them in early September.
Sandra Christensen, executive director of the Bermuda chapter of Habitat for Humanity, said: “All the money that we raise here at Habitat ReStore goes to support our projects, which help the vulnerable and underserved in our community who are living in derelict homes. We go in and rehabilitate their homes to a standard of safety and make them habitable.
“With regard to our large-scale projects, we do maybe one a year or every two years. Our focus is on the community projects right now, the smaller ones, which benefit seniors and families with children living in really derelict and unsafe homes.”
She added: “A lot of the donations that we receive don’t even end up being sold here because we find a need in one of our projects. For example, cabinets which are donated are ideal for our projects.”
Mr Cluett added: “In one instance, a woman at one of our project houses didn’t have a bed. I actually had a bed in the back of the van, so I immediately went and got it, brought it into the house, and set it up.
“We were towards the end of that project, and I just so happened to be there with the bed in the back and now she has it still to this day.”
Mr Cluett, the lone employee at Habitat ReStore, supervises a team of 14 volunteers.
He said: “We are adding volunteers all the time. We’re always looking for volunteers.”
The Habitat ReStore furniture and decor showroom is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10am. If you have items to donate, contact [email protected] or call 296-0256.
