The former Newco Manufacturing building directly behind the Phillips 66 station on 135th Street will soon be the largest ReStore facility in KC. .

ReStored!

Habitat for Humanity’s home improvement center will take over 45,000 sq ft facility in Martin City

By Kathy Feist

Habitat for Humanity KC is purchasing the former Newco Manufacturing building, a 45,000 square foot facility located at 13531 Wyandotte, behind the Phillips 66 station. The building will become a ReStore, a non profit home improvement store and donation center that sells new and gently used furniture, appliances, and building materials to the public at a fraction of the retail price. “This will be our flagship store,” says Habitat for Humanity CEO Pat Turner. 

Habitat for Humanity KC has five smaller ReStores in the area that are leased, most averaging about 12,000 to 15,000 square feet in size (similar to the one found near 79th & Wornall). The Martin City ReStore however will match in size the ReStore located at 4701 Deramus Ave in north Kansas City.  That store brings in 200,000 transactions a year, according to David Krumbholz, Vice President of ReStore in Kansas City.

Krumbholz says Martin City was chosen because of its location to “good donations”, referring to the quality of donations from the Leawood, Loch Lloyd, and Belton area. Currently, there is only one small ReStore in Johnson County located at 8722 Santa Fe Dr.

Having the Restore on the state line also allows them to take advantage of the 501c3 “tax holiday” that Missouri offers. In Kansas, ReStores are required to pay sales tax. Habitat for Humanity recently closed its Merriam, KS, store.

“Martin City is a hot place right now!” says Krumbholz. “For us, it’s perfect.”

Krumbholz says all sales at a ReStore are tax deductible as are donations to the store. The store takes lumber and building material, kitchen, bathroom, and lighting fixtures, and hardware such as paint, fasteners, and tools. It also takes furniture. “It’s the best treasure hunt you’ve ever seen!” says Krumbholz.

Turner explains that the larger facility will enable Kansas City to accept large truckload donations from the Habitat for Humanity headquarters in Atlanta, GA. The organization often receives new product donations from manufacturers.

The layout of the building will include three areas: showroom products (cabinetry, faucets, lighting and furniture); building materials (lumber, doors, windows, molding and pipes), and outdoor materials (granite, siding, and patio stone). A loading dock will be built on the south end. Cash registers and a donor wall will be on the northeast end.

The building will also function as a classroom to teach skilled labor. The National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI) will remodel 2000 square feet  into a classroom environment complete with kitchen. It is an answer to the recent figures indicating a shortage of skilled workers in the construction business.

 ReStore serves to raise money for Habitat for Humanity which provides housing for needy, qualifying families. “It made enough money to make a dent in services to 137 families last year,” says Krumbholz. “We need to make more money to fund more houses.”

Krumbholz hopes to have an August opening for the Martin City ReStore.