In the fall of 1997, just 11 years into what was then known as Lancaster Area Habitat for Humanity’s existence, the Habitat board proposed the idea of opening a ReStore.
The establishment, and promotion, of a Habitat ReStore was big undertaking for an affiliate already committed to a major construction project like the 70-unit Emerald Valley community.
When Fran McCaffrey, Habitat’s executive director at the time, was first approached with the idea, he balked. There was too much going on with blitz builds to organize and the upcoming relocation of the Habitat office. But after thinking about it further, rather than shying away from a challenge, McCaffrey saw the possibilities that the new donation center and retail space could provide to a growing affiliate.
“I said, well let’s try it,” says McCaffrey.
A successful ReStore in Lancaster would ultimately mean the ability to build more Habitat homes. And the additional benefits far outweighed the challenges. A ReStore would provide customers with access to low-cost building materials and suppliers an outlet to donate their surplus goods instead of dumping useable materials in landfills. The ReStore would also provide more opportunities for Habitat homebuyer partners to complete their sweat equity hours and give volunteers another meaningful way to contribute to Habitat’s mission.
During most of 1998, the Habitat staff and board worked through the planning and logistics of opening a store, while continuing to work on building the Emerald Valley community among other projects. 1998 was a busy, and exciting, year in Habitat’s history.
Habitat secured $60,000 in seed money from private donations, hired a manager, and leased the former location of the Hartman and Lapp Marine Sales business building in Bridgeport.
“We had no money. That $60,000 had to get us through everything,” says McCaffrey. “We had to get a manager, and we found a retired Mennonite pastor who did it for $25,000 a year. And (the original location) was awful place. It flooded a couple times a year. Our stuff would be floating around. And there was no access. But it was affordable.”
The 12,000 square-foot store opened in November of 1998, and Habitat held a grand opening on December 8, 1998. It was the first ReStore in the northeast, according to McCaffrey.
“The (original ReStore) was a little dinky place,” says McCaffrey. “We had some nuts and bolts. We had a couple things, but it was almost nothing.”
That first year the store broke even. But eventually those nuts and bolts added up. And, despite its size, during the ReStore’s first three years in business it generated enough money to completely fund the construction of one-and-a-half Habitat homes.
The original ReStore found success due to the passion of the board, staff, and especially the volunteers from the community who gave their time, enthusiasm, and energy to support the mission.
“We had a lot of fun,” said McCaffrey. “We had the most wonderful people volunteering. They were very special.”
In the spring of 2003, the ReStore finally outgrew its original location and moved into a larger 20,000 square-foot space at 155 Independence Court on Greenfield Road.
Customers quickly flocked to the Greenfield location and their excitement for thrifting and discovering low-cost materials for their DIY projects continued to help fuel Habitat’s builds.
Greenfield Road was home to the ReStore for more than 20 years, until, was once again, it was determined that a larger space was required to truly maximize the home-building potential of the ReStore.
In early 2024, construction began on the three-acre site of the former home of McMinn’s Asphalt. And, in June of 2024, the new 33,000-square-foot Lancaster Habitat ReStore opened its doors. The new building at 1061 Manheim Pike also housed the Habitat program office, making it the first time the two arms of Habitat’s mission were working in the same building.
The new ReStore location nearly doubled the retail space of the former Greenfield Road store and provided more accessible parking. At the time of the grand opening, the new space was the largest ReStore in Pennsylvania, and it’s currently the second largest store in the state.
More space and more inventory led to more sales. Almost 15,000 more sales compared to the last year at the Greenfield location. And with those sales came more impact. Since opening in 2024, nearly 800 volunteers have contributed 23,000 volunteer hours at the ReStore.
“When I came (to the new location), it just blew me away. I could not believe what this is. This Restore is amazing,” says McCaffrey. “We were thrilled that we were able to make (the first store) work, and I assumed we would grow, but I never could have dreamed of this.”