Habitat Store to open in downtown Puyallup

From couches to cabinets and hammers to household items, the new Habitat Store in downtown Puyallup will be stocked full of gently used and new merchandise, all offered at deep discounts.

Located in Valley Plaza at 1329 E. Main Street, the store will open at 9 a.m. Friday (July 8).

“Like our other two stores in Tacoma and Lakewood, this new store is a bargain hunters’ paradise,” said Ed Dopp, director or retail operations. “It’s also located in the heart of Puyallup, convenient to downtown and South Hill residents and easily accessible to the nearby communities of Sumner and Bonney Lake.”

The store is basically a home improvement outlet, he said.

“If people want to replace a bathtub or windows or trim for their house, or paint their home those are items that we typically carry, either new or gently used donations from other homeowners,” Dopp said.

Operated by Habitat for Humanity of Tacoma-Pierce County, the 11,500-square-foot Puyallup location serves two important purposes, according to Maureen Fife, CEO of the local affiliate.

“We exist to help make sure everyone has a safe, decent and affordable place to live,” she said. “That’s a tall order and it’s getting harder and harder to do. Profits from our stores help fund what donors, homebuyer sweat equity and the government cannot possibly do — buy more land and build more houses.”

Habitat stores also help homeowners, landlords, property managers and others find affordable materials and save thousands of pounds of useable items from going to area landfills each year.

The Puyallup store will carry merchandise similar to other Habitat stores in Pierce County, including:

▪ Tools, including hand tools and working power tools

▪ Appliances, from nearly new to still working refrigerators, freezers, stoves and more

▪ Furniture, including tables, chairs, couches and more

▪ Kitchen cabinets, bathroom vanities and sinks

▪ Doors, doors and more doors

▪ Household items such as artwork, mirrors and décor

Puyallup Mayor John Hopkins is pleased about the opening of the retail store.

“We welcome this new business to our community, and we are pleased to have other options for the purchasing of building supplies,” he said. “We love the fact that the profits go towards a worthy cause.”

The opening of the Puyallup Habitat Store will be celebrated with a special ribbon-cutting ceremony, hosted by the Puyallup-Sumner Chamber of Commerce at noon Thursday (July 7).

Store hours of operation will be Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. When fully operational, 15 regular volunteers and five employees will staff the Puyallup location.

It’s expected to generate about $400,000 in sales during the first year of operation.

For information or to donate gently used merchandise or fully operational tools or appliances, call 253-779-8149.

This story was originally published July 5, 2016 at 10:15 AM with the headline "Habitat Store to open in downtown Puyallup."