Where you can shop to save money and help the environment

NORFOLK, Va. - Sometimes the click of a price tag gun can sound a lot like saving money.

At least that's the case inside the Habitat for Humanity ReStore on Tidewater Drive in Norfolk.

While it's filled with furniture and home items, it's not your traditional store. In fact, it can be looked at as a second chance for furniture, the environment and your wallet.

The nonprofit organization collects new and gently used items from inside your home or business and sells them for a discounted price. You can drop off everything from kitchen appliances to lamps, or you can schedule a pick-up online.

If you're donating, it's tax deductible and if you're buying, it's much cheaper than going to a traditional furniture store.

With inflation these days, every bit of money that you can save makes a difference. While it's good for your wallet, it also helps keep bulky furniture out of landfills.

"Items that would have been disposed of when people move away or buy something else would end up in the landfill. By coming to the ReStore, we save our landfill spaces for other [items] that must go to the landfill," said Frank Hruska, the executive director of Habitat for Humanity of South Hampton Roads.

This is a big deal because the United States Environmental Protection Agency said that in 2018, more than 80% of furniture waste ended up in landfills. By donating and shopping at the ReStore, you can help bring those numbers down.

For perspective on pricing, when News 3 reporter Erin Miller was walking around the ReStore, she spotted a high-top dining set for under $200. Granted, the set was missing one chair, but even with all the pieces, it would have been between $200 and $300. A quick Google search shows that a full dining set at a traditional furniture store likely costs anywhere between $400 and $600.

Shopping at Habitat for Humanity is an upfront savings.

"From appliances to furniture to home building, windows, doors, couches, washing machines, we have everything that you might need," said Hruska.

The money from ReStore sales also stays in the community and goes directly to the nonprofit's mission of building affordable homes for deserving families.

Ways to get involved:

• Click here to schedule a donation pick-up online
• Call Habitat for Humanity of South Hampton Roads at 757-640-0594
• Questions? Email: donationpickups@shrhabitat.org
• Shop or donate at:
  
  • 900 Tidewater Drive
    Norfolk, Va. 23504
  • 955 Providence Square
    Virginia Beach, Va. 23464