news-record.com

ReStore manager Ronstadt Manuel surveys his inventory: wood-paneled TVs, rows of old couches, buckets of paint, stacks of doors and other items that might have met an ignominious end at the curb on trash day.

But one man’s junk is another man’s merchandise — and possibly building material.

“Furniture, home decor items,” Manuel said. “We bring them in here to the store, sell them to the public and to builders. The proceeds go back to Habitat for Humanity. And it keeps this stuff out of the landfill.”

The nonprofit organization, best known for low-cost homes for needy families, is giving new life to old building components and helping the environment in the process.

The 38,000-square-foot ReStore on High Point Road opened in 2000. Manuel estimates that in the past nine years the store has helped keep 8,000 tons of building materials, furniture, appliances and other wares out of the landfill. In the process, it has also raised $5.5 million and put 43 families in their own homes.

The store has a mission similar to that of Architectural Salvage of Greensboro, which operates a shop on Bellemeade Street, in that it recycles old fixtures, moldings and other parts. Architectural Salvage focuses on antique items, but the ReStore has a more contemporary collection.

The ReStore also has small sections devoted to books, movies, music, electronics, dishes and other knickknacks.

And the economic downturn, Manuel said, has helped with donations.

“With a lot of places closing, they (business owners) have decided that instead of trying to liquidate their stuff, it’s easier for them to just donate the items,” he said.

Contact Robert C. Lopez at 691-5091 or robert.lopez@news-record.com