Name: Habitat ReStore -- Durham-Chapel Hill
Telephone: (919) 403-8668

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Phone: (919) 403-8668

Directions 4.1

Google Rating

4.1

DJ Springer 9 months ago

Don't expect a bargain for used merchandise unless it's in terrible condition.
$99 for a basic office desk
$50 for a smaller version on discount that I googled and found for $68 new and delivered

Bookcases of laminate and MDF $125
caleb wolf 2 months ago

Sales from ReStore, along with donations added at checkout, support Habitat for Humanity’s broader mission of affordable housing, which I genuinely support, but a good mission should not become a shield from criticism.

I am writing this review because, over the last 3-4 years under the current manager’s leadership, this store has changed dramatically. I have shopped here long enough to remember when it actually felt like a secondhand store built for working-class people. Prices have skyrocketed, and the store feels less like a community resource and more like a curated resale shop built on donated goods.

To be fair, the store is more organized and appears better staffed than it was years ago. My frustration is not with the employees or volunteers. It is with the pricing philosophy that has emerged under current leadership.

As you shop, it is very unlikely that you will find typical secondhand prices. Volunteers reportedly use an AI-powered app to estimate the original retail value of donated items, after which many products are priced only around 30% below retail. That approach feels deeply out of touch for a store built entirely on donated goods.

Part of the mission should also be making furniture and household items genuinely accessible to working-class and lower-income people, not pricing donated secondhand goods as though they are boutique resale items.

Some pricing is honestly absurd. I recently found a painting that looked clearly like something made for a high school or college art class being sold for $55. It should have been closer to $15. I regularly see visibly damaged or heavily worn items still priced extremely high.

As someone who supports Habitat for Humanity, this review does not come from hostility toward the mission. It comes from frustration that this particular ReStore increasingly feels disconnected from the people who most need affordable secondhand goods.

I genuinely hope leadership reconsiders the direction this store has taken. A ReStore should not feel like an overpriced antique mall built on donations. It should feel accessible, community-centered, and rooted in the values of affordability, humility, and service that organizations like Habitat for Humanity claim to represent.
S Bee 4 months ago

Bring your tape measure! Fantastic experience. Accessible, clean. Not sure if there's a bathroom. Friendly and helpful, knowledgeable staff. Exquisitely organized, items thoughtfully placed. Beautiful items, too, at great prices I couldn't believe.

It's not clear how to purchase a large item like a table or sofa, so here's what to do: Find the tag. Bring it up to the front to pay for the item. Pull your vehicle around to the back for help to load the item. Go home happy.

Enter and leave with a smile to amplify the good energy there. I found beautiful items and some really weird stuff, which I also purchased. We found exactly what we set out to get, too.

Sometimes it's even great to find cool things and not get them, thinking about other people who can enjoy them!
BonnieInNC 3 months ago

I've been shopping at the ReStore for years and love their inventory, mission and finding a good deal. As some other reviewers have mentioned, the seemingly higher prices have caught me off guard in the last year or so, especially for the lower quality, damaged, or very "loved" items - often I could buy a similar item new on Amazon or elsewhere for the same price or just a bit more. These days, I more often leave the store empty handed. I admire their mission and want to support it, but hope the days of finding regular deals will return.
DEBBIE WILLIAMSON 4 months ago

I've noticed all of the area restores seem to be changing their interior layout. I liked the original better, but, change is inevitable.
Selection varies, some trips you'll find more / better selection than at other times.
Staff is very courteous.
First time visitors may be confused by entrance off freeway, but, once you go it will make sense. Turn into the road as if you are going to the restaurants.