Hartford Business Journal

www.HartfordBusiness.com September 7, 2015 • Hartford Business Journal 3 FACES OF BUSINESS Boyne's thrift store gives homeowners hope By Stan Simpson I t's 10:30 a.m. and Matt Boyne is maneu- vering a forklift, relocating slabs of wood doors inside a one-story concrete building. Volunteers assist him with the reposition- ing. The 22,000-square-foot structure, a former contaminated machine shop, is already buzzing with shoppers look- ing for a steal. Eventually, those doors will be sold at discount — and new products will come in. It's the nature of ReStore, a unique thrift shop on Cot- tage Grove Road in Bloomfield, which sells donated new and gently used home improvement products, building materials, fur- niture, appliances and other items. Revenue from the nonprofit, affiliated with Hartford Area Habitat for Humanity, is used to build homes (and provide 0 percent mortgages) for families with modest incomes. Boyne, ReStore's director, said the opera- tion relies on a three-pronged system: • Donation of items — The tax-deductible offerings come from home improvement stores, contractors, tool manufacturers and homeowners. ReStore also picks up many of the donated items with its truck. • Shoppers — The items are heavily dis- counted and popular with landlords, handy- men, shelter operators and soup kitchens. • Volunteers — Among those who assist are senior citizens, college students and individuals who need to work off com- munity service hours after a nonviolent criminal offense. About eight volunteers are on duty daily. Pratt & Whitney once provided 145 volunteers to help unload trucks. The University of Hartford also has sent a contingent of volunteers. ReStore's concept reflects Habitat for Humanity's social consciousness and commu- nity outreach. Instead of going to the dump, the items on display are sold and put to better use. Overhead signs describe the products being offered: power tools, lighting, windows, doors, cabinet and counters, and plumbing. There's also an "Oldies But Goodies" and "Cool Stuff" section for items such as pictures, rocking chairs and antique music organs. On this particular morning, ReStore is buzzing with activity. One shopper is looking at framed pictures, prices ranging from $5 to $10. Another customer is eyeing an organ ($75), while others are looking at appliances, build- ing materials and plumbing fixtures. Refrig- erators sell for about $200; $400 for a washer/ dryer; $125 for a recliner. Boyne says his management style in supervis- ing three full-time employees and four part-tim- ers can be summed up in one word — simplicity. "What comes in must go out,'' he said. "If we market at a good price, it's going to sell. When it sells, we've got room for the next thing that goes there. If we keep it simple, this is going to work." Another element to Boyne's simplistic approach is "I surround myself with an eclec- tic group of people with diverse backgrounds.'' There are 468 ReStores in the country and Canada, he said. The Bloomfield opera- tion launched in October. Cottage Grove Road got ample traffic; parking was avail- able and the building had a motivated and cooperative landlord. Instead of getting involved with a costly building-contamination clean-up, the areas of concern were encapsulated in concrete, said Boyne. Four years ago, this New Haven native who grew up in Greater Hartford, vol- unteered to help Hartford Area Habitat for Humanity identify a site for the store. He ended up running the place. Boyne's experience as a manufacturer's representa- tive, restoration company project manager and carpenter made for a good fit. To keep things churning, ReStore tries to sell each item in 90 days. Every 30 days another discount is applied. If the product is not sold in 90 days, it will be offered for free for 15 days. If the item is still on the shelf, it is discard- ed or sold for scrap. ReStore's most popular items are furniture, appliances and kitchen Continued www.kelsercorp.com 111 Roberts St, Suite D East Hartford, CT 06108 860 610 2200 Intellectual Property is more valuable than credit cards on the cyber black market. How secure is your network? www.kelsercorp.com/cybercrime Stan Simpson Matt Boyne (top left) runs a Bloomfield thrift store that uses its revenues to build homes and provide no-interest mortgages to modest-income families. Volunteers (bottom left) help run the store, which employs three full-time staffers (right). P H O T O S | P A B L O R O B L E S

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