ReStore Opens New Location in South Austin

Austin Habitat for Humanity’s retail outlet, ReStore, is opening in South Austin this October, according to Community Impact.

The retailer will sell discounted construction materials and home furnishings for low-income families. The renovation of the 53,000-square-foot building at 500 Ben White Boulevard - formerly a Chuck E. Cheese and Ross department store - is a $3.5 million project that’s been underway since February. Austin Habitat selected the South Austin location to replace its current ReStore location at 310 Comal Street because there’s more traffic in the South Austin area, according to the newspaper.

“Right now they are all [the stores] a couple of miles apart; now they are all going to be under one roof, which is a really big deal for us,” Director of Operations Greg Anderson told the newspaper.

• Want more South Austin news? Click here for our daily newsletter.

The interior includes conference rooms, an 800-square-foot community center room, and features like brightly colored accent walls and natural lighting. The building will also house a new construction warehouse and offices for finance, communications and the organization’s Home Services Program, where staff will meet with families to help them ease into homeownership, according to the newspaper.

Austin’s Habitat for Humanity offers several programs outside of building homes for low-income families, including home repair and financial counseling, which are sometimes free and open to the public.

Habitat for Humanity staff has already started using the facility on Oct. 1 and has made use of the office space by getting started new projects. ReStore will have a soft opening at the end of October and a grand opening on Nov. 21.