From Home Staging to Final Home Furnishings

In late April, our ReStore team partnered with staff members from our Homeownership department to help furnish a Habitat home. The home was then open for the public to visit April 28 and 29 as part of the Minneapolis St. Paul Home Tour. 

To kickoff this project, the ReStore team met with local home stager, Victoria of VictoriaLambert Interior Design back in late March. During that meeting, the team gained a better understanding of the types of items Victoria was hoping to use, and also get a feel for the style the team wanted to achieve. 

"We had previously worked with Victoria on an open house we hosted in the spring of 2017," said Adade Amenounve, Homeowner Development Coordinator at Twin Cities Habitat and project lead for the most recent open house event. "She goes above and beyond to make sure our homes look spectacular."

In the weeks leading up to the tour, both Twin Cities Habitat ReStore locations (New Brighton & Minneapolis) began setting aside donations they felt would show well in the home. The team then delivered the items to the home and Victoria worked her magic, getting things ready for the tour weekend.

Over 100 visited the home between Saturday and Sunday. The future homeowner, James, stopped by and was impressed by the staging of the various rooms. A few of the items furnished by the ReStore caught his eye, and he was excited to learn that he would have the opportunity to purchase them once the tour concluded and he had closed on his home.

The following Monday, staff shipped the items back to the Minneapolis store, and set aside a few pieces for James to purchase. James, Habitat, and the community came together that Wednesday to celebrate his new home with a dedication ceremony, where he shared the following statement:

“The past year was hard… I’ve been working two jobs to make his happen.  It feels like a dream, it really does.  It was hard at times but I feel so happy, so proud, and so blessed.”

James promptly visited the store the same day he closed on his new home in Minneapolis. He purchased:

-Bed board $40
-Sofa $95
-Dining set $275
-Two chairs $95/each
-Ottoman $45
-Record player $45

"This was a really fun partnership between departments in our organization, and the team had fun selecting items to place in the home," said Pete O'Keefe, Sr. ReStore Operations Manager. "We were thrilled that the homeowner found pieces that he not only liked, but also, that fit perfectly in his home. We hope events like this give people a better understanding of the items we carry, and the great prices they'll see when they come and shop at our stores."

Special thanks to our volunteer greeters for helping us staff the open house for the tour: Cathleen C. and April H., Sheri B., Richard M., Win C., and Ahmad S. 

As a result of the success of this open house, we have also created a new volunteer opportunity!

Open House Volunteer

Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity Open House Host Volunteers will conduct open house events for Habitat homebuyers to visit available Habitat homes.

Preferred Skills and Qualifications:

• Strong verbal communication skills
• Eagerness to work with a culturally diverse population
• Ability to manage open house event independently and without supervision
• Access to reliable transportation to and from events throughout the 7-county metro

Time Commitment:

• Each open house will last for 3 hours
• Open Houses will take place Thursdays and Saturdays the second and third week of the month
• Commit to hosting two to four open house events per month as shifts are available
• Minimum 6-month commitment

Read the full volunteer role description.

Interested? Contact our volunteer coordinator: volunteer@tchabitat.org | Phone: 612-305-7114