By STEVE AYERS
Staff Reporter
The Habitat for Humanity Home Improvement Restore in Camp Verde serves two purposes. First, it gives the organization much needed visibility. Secondly, it generates revenue.
Every dollar spent in the store, over and above the expenses of the building itself, goes toward providing affordable housing for low-income working families.
Most of the money goes toward land acquisition.
Open just eight months, the store has become a fixture valley-wide.
"Our customers come from all over the valley," store volunteer Leslie Fahy said. "And many of them come every week."
They are homeowners, builders, landlords and the curious, according to Fahy.
The loyal following is there for a reason. What is there is cheap, typically 50 percent or more off of retail. About 60 percent of the items are new. All of them are donated. And most of them don't stick around for very long.
"Our saying around here is, 'if you snooze you loose,'" Fahy said.
According to Fahy and fellow volunteer Nolan Morrow, every day is busy but the big day is Thursday.
"We are only open Thursday, Friday and Saturday. We spend the rest of the week gathering up donations. So come Thursday morning, when we open at 9 a.m., the regulars all stop in to see what's new," Morrow said.
Among the items the store regularly deals in are doors, windows, hardware, flooring, lighting, ceiling fans, paint, sinks, cabinets, electrical fixtures and plumbing supplies.
"We are pretty much a dirt cheap Home Depot with a very limited selection," Fahy said.
Many of the donations come from builders, several of whom also contribute their time when it comes to building homes for the organization. Extra items from a job site often find their way to the selves along with "mistakes."
The building supply companies in the valley, however, donate most of them.
"We have a great relationship with Lumberman's, Foxworth-Galbraith and others. They send us discontinued and overstocked items weekly," Fahy said.
They also receive many used items including appliances and furniture.
"We solicit used items, but they must be decent and readily saleable. We don't want anyone's junk, but we don't want anyone taking something of value to the dump either," Fahy said.
The reason for the fussiness is space.
"We have to keep the inventory turning over. We don't have a lot of space and constantly turn down readily saleable items like lumber just because we don't have any place to put it. We really have to conscious of our limitations," Morrow said.
The Home Improvement Restore is open form 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Thursday, Friday and Saturday and is located at 494 S. Main St. in downtown Camp Verde. Their phone number is 567-5490.
They do not accept dropped-off donations. To make a donation, or volunteer, call 649-6788 or stop by the store.
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