Habitat Renovation Station opens southside location
Okay, now you southsiders can't say you don't get some things the northside already has.
The Journal Record - Article
Central Oklahoma Habitat for Humanity opens store in south OKC retail center
by Kelley Chambers
The Journal ecord May 18, 2009
OKLAHOMA CITY – Based on the success of its first Renovation Station, Central Oklahoma Habitat for Humanity has opened a second metro area store.
The group opened the first Renovation Station in 1998 in a 48,000-square-foot space on the first floor at 1800 N. Broadway Ave. The cluttered warehouse space has a constant stream of contractors and do-it-yourselfers buying floor tiles, toilets, lighting fixtures and building supplies, often at reduced retail prices.The items at the Renovation Station are donated or purchased from liquidators.
“We just get all kinds of things,” said Habitat CEO Ann Felton.
Felton said the store grosses about $2 million a year and pays for the construction of five Habitat homes. The group builds about 50 homes in Oklahoma City for low-income families each year.
Based on the success of the first store and the chance to raise money for additional homes, Felton began thinking of expanding.
“We’ve been thinking about a second location for quite some time,” she said. “We really wanted to open something on the south side of town.”
Last Monday, the second Renovation Station opened in the 30,000-square-feet facility at the Economy Square shopping center at 2805 SW 29th St. Unlike the original Renovation Station, the south store is in a well-lit retail space and items are displayed on organized shelves like any other home improvement store.
In addition to giving shoppers bargains on home improvement items, Felton hopes it will generate funds for additional Habitat homes.
“It’s an ongoing fundraiser for us,” Felton said.
Chip Oppenheim, third-generation owner of Economy Square, said the center has always been focused on stores that provide a good value for shoppers since his grandfather built it in the early 1960s.
“We say ‘big savings every day in every store,’” he said. “The Habitat Renovation Station will fit in perfectly.”
The Habitat store helped Oppenheim bring the 275,000-square-foot center to 100-percent occupancy. The last occupant of the Habitat space was Big Lots. It has sat vacant for more than two years.
At the Habitat store, shoppers will find much of the selection is like that at the original store, but Felton said the new store has space to display more furniture and dining room sets.
If the store is a success, Felton is looking at opening additional stores around the city.
“We want to look at a third store in another location in the next few years,” she said.
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