ReStore to open Thursday

The Cape Area Habitat for Humanity's ReStore, after several delays, will open Thursday.

When leaders of the regional Habitat chapter announced plans for the store in July, they hoped for an opening later in the summer. But now the store at 117 N. Middle St. is stocked and ready to go, said store manager Jim Bequette.

"We are 99.9 percent ready," Bequette said Friday. "We have a few more items being delivered Monday that will put us over the top."

The store is ready for shoppers needing ceramic tiles, ceiling tiles, lighting kits for ceilings and walls and bathroom fixtures such as vanities and toilets, he said.

"The word is spreading, and after the grand opening I think the word-of-mouth will greatly expand the awareness of what we have and what we can use," Bequette said.

Habitat ReStores specialize in selling surplus building supplies donated by homeowners, contractors, retailers and wholesalers. All the money from sales at the ReStore, minus amounts for rent, utilities and the salary for Bequette's part-time position, will be used to support the construction of Habitat homes in the region.

"The community has been very generous," said Nancy Grand, co-chairwoman of the Habitat committee operating ReStore. "The response has been very good thus far, but we definitely need a constant flow of donations."

The ReStore has two main purposes, Grand said. The first is to raise money for Habitat for Humanity. The second, she said, is to keep valuable building supplies out of area landfills.

Bequette, 61, said he took the part-time job because it fit his background. He first moved to Cape Girardeau in 1970 and worked for five years for Riverside Lumber Co. He has worked at Southeast Missouri State University while earning a degree, took a position as deputy county assessor, was a minister and spent more than seven years in Jefferson City as the supervisor of accounts payable at the Department of Social Services. He returned to Cape Girardeau in 1994, working at Nowell's Camera Shop until it closed in 2002.

That varied background, he said, gave him experience in retail and working with large numbers of people.

The ReStore will be open from 9 a.m. to noon Thursday, 12:30 to 5 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. to noon Saturday. Donations will be accepted during those hours as well, Bequette said.

Anyone seeking to make a donation who cannot bring the material to the store during operating hours should call 651-9080 to set up an appointment, he said. The ReStore doesn't want donors leaving material on the store lot.

The list of acceptable items is long, but general requirements apply -- used materials, such as appliances, must be in good shape. The store will not accept upholstered furniture and will not accept televisions or computers. Building supplies such as roofing materials, lumber and drywall must generally be new, clean and undamaged.

rkeller@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 126