Resale shops preparing for Coles County Habitat for Humanity ReStore closure

As the ReStore winds down for its scheduled closure on March 15, local resale shops are preparing for an influx of both shoppers seeking bargains and of donors seeking alternative drop-off sites for items cluttering their homes and workplaces.

“We were very sad to hear the ReStore was going to be closing. It’s been a great asset to the community,” said Steve Runyon, owner of the Home Again Consignment Shop, 830 18th St. in Charleston. “Losing the ReStore is going to create a big hole in our community.”

To help guide shoppers and donors to the right places, Runyon recently worked with his business community colleagues to create a directory of items that are accepted or not accepted at various local resale shops.

The directory includes Home Again Consignment Shop, Standing Stone Community Center and The Corner Spot in Charleston; Catholic Charities, Once Again Interiors, and the Salvation Army in Mattoon; and Goodwill in both communities. This listing, which also includes business hours and phone numbers, has been posted on the Home Again page on Facebook and shared from there.

Runyon noted that even though Home Again and Once Again Interiors accept some furniture and home decor for consignment resale, not outright donations, they still want to be able to make helpful referrals.

“We like to support local businesses and work together, hopefully for everyone to be successful,” Runyon said, adding that he welcomes any resale shops that were missed to contact him for inclusion in the directory.

As an example of the directory’s information, it lists Standing Stone as accepting clothing, furniture, and household items. Items not accepted by this nonprofit ministry include hide-a-beds, baby beds, car seats, exercise or medical equipment, and broken or not working furniture or electronics.

Donors can call 217-549-3378 to arrange for dropping off items at Standing Stone’s donation center, 201 N. Sixth St. Executive Director Dawn Thomson said this center is typically open 9 a.m.-3 p.m. on Saturdays, except during the first full week of the month. Donated items are sold at the Standing Stone Community Center, 375 N. 14th St., also home to The Carpenters Table Food Pantry.

Thomson said she appreciates being included in the new directory. She noted that Standing Stone, Home Again, and the ReStore have all worked together closely since opening during the same time frame a decade ago. She said this cooperation included Runyon helping get the first freezer for Carpenters Table, which now serves 400 households/approximately 1,500 people per month.

The ReStore, 520 W. Lincoln Ave., is set to close on March 15 as its lease on the west end of the former Charleston Walmart Building expires. Habitat has reported that it has not been able to find an alternative location within its budget that meets ReStore’s facility needs. ReStore has been part of Habitat’s ongoing fundraising efforts to construct homes for local families in financial need.

Habitat’s ReStore has played a unique role in the resale community by offering used appliances and home construction materials, Thomson said. Standing Stone will not be able to offer those items but is preparing for more demand in its core areas, she said.

Thomson said Standing Stone has seen an increase in demand for its clothing as more customers have gotten comfortable purchasing used apparel and as inflation has hit their pocketbooks. She noted that the ministry’s five free items of clothing program is already giving away approximately 9,000 items per year.

Standing Stone has augmented its storage space on the former Eagles lodge property on North 14th Street with shipping containers and will consider additional storage if needed following the ReStore’s closure, Thomson said.

“We try to make the best with whatever we have been given,” Thomson said.