HOME WORKS
A bargain hunter's natural
habitat
Habitat for Humanity, the nonprofit organization that
builds homes for low-income families, relies heavily on donations of labor,
building supplies and cash. In 2001, with the economy in a downturn, Habitat for
Humanity Greater Los Angeles was sorely lacking the third. At the same time, it
had a surplus of building supplies: "We were getting up to 100 calls a week,
people wanting to donate materials from renovations, etc., and we were turning
people down," says President Erin Rank. "It occurred to me that we could utilize
the donations by opening a retail home improvement store."
Rank began
banking donations and found a 10,000-square-foot warehouse in
Gardena. Word spread among homeowners, construction firms and
manufacturers, and when the Habitat for Humanity Greater Los Angeles Home
Improvement Store opens its doors Labor Day weekend, expect a broad selection,
with prices at about half retail: new and used windows and doors, tile and
brick, furniture, carpeting, appliances, paint, roofing materials, lumber,
cabinets. And, with donations being tax deductible, inventory expands by the
hour.
Grand opening: Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Regular hours are
Tuesday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Habitat for Humanity South Bay/Long
Beach Home Improvement Store is at 17700 S. Figueroa St.; (310) 323-5665, http://www.shophabitat.org
.
— Steven Barrie-Anthony