The ReStore Trip that Started it All

As far as bachelor pads go, Bill’s wasn’t all that bad.  He’s a tidy guy so the only real complaint a girl could make was that it lacked a homey feel.  It was more like a bunch of random pieces stuck where they fit.  So, when Bill moved to take advantage of an opportunity in Pittsburgh, I decided to see the glass half-full.  This new apartment would be a blank canvas where we could slowly turn this new place that we occasionally share (and hopefully will all the time)  into a beautiful home for us.

But where to start?

Obviously I turned to the internet after we discussed the need for a few basic pieces of furniture.  In all the before and after shots we found, many blogs and websites suggested starting at Goodwill or a Habitat for Humanity ReStore first to see what we could find.  We had never heard of the ReStore before, but found that there was one across town so we made plans to go and just ‘take a look at things’.

There were TONS of finds from scrap lumber and molding to old furniture and even vases and other housewares.

It was like all of the best things about a thrift store with the special added bonus of supporting Habitat for Humanity.

But, since we were only ‘just looking’, we didn’t get the table that would have been a perfect base to make a new desk.  (I’d share photos with you but I deleted them in disappointment when we learned it had sold before we could go back for it.)

But I couldn’t go on a shopping trip and not buy SOMETHING.  And I found the perfect little thing to start our DIY journey:

They were old mailbox numbers (the same ones that my Dad has on the side of our garage spelling our last name!) that were marked thirty cents each, so for under a buck we were able to get our first B & B.  I’d say it was quite the find, don’t you?

Have you been to a ReStore before?  What did you find?

~ Beth