Tacoma/Pierce County Habitat for Humanity will officially open its largest retail and home improvement store in the county this Friday in Spanaway.
Boasting 19,000 square feet of retail space with discounted furniture, building materials, tools, windows, lighting, housewares, paint, new mattresses and more, the store occupies the former Rite Aid at 15801 Pacific Ave. S.
“It’s kind of like Goodwill and Home Depot having a baby,” Chief Operating Officer Ed Dopp said Wednesday.
Habitat for Humanity has three other stores in Pierce County, one in Tacoma, one in Lakewood and one in Puyallup. Donations are accepted at all locations, and proceeds benefit the nonprofit’s programs to build affordable housing, Dopp said.
About 60 percent of the sales floor is furniture, he said. Hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, with donations accepted starting at 5:30 p.m.
Depending on their condition, most items are sold at half their retail price, Dobb said.
Tacoma/Pierce County Habitat for Humanity had wanted to open a retail store in Spanaway for some time, and the location was chosen in part because of the area’s concentration of residential homes and proximity to a commercial corridor, he said.
Habitat is also in the process of purchasing 80 single-family homes from the Pierce County Housing Authority, the majority of which are in that neighborhood, Dobb said. The five-year plan is to renovate those properties, sell them to the owners and have those homes remain in Pierce County’s affordable housing stock in perpetuity, he said.
“This [store opening] “It helps us to be able to have a presence there, in addition to coming with the houses, to be part of the community,” Dobb said.
