A group of Rye High School seniors joined peers from Habitat for Humanity clubs from other area schools on October 2 to mark the opening of the organization’s huge new resale store at 659 Main Street in New Rochelle.

 

By Sarah Varney

A group of Rye High School seniors joined peers from Habitat for Humanity clubs from other area schools on October 2 to mark the opening of the organization’s huge new resale store at 659 Main Street in New Rochelle.

The 12,000-square-foot store sells gently used furniture and appliances donated from area contractors or householders with renovation projects. It also contains gallery space for local artists and a disaster relief center with kitchen and shower facilities. At the opening, the store’s appliance section had several Bosch refrigerators, Magic Chef gas ranges, washer/dryer combos, and microwave ovens. Birdhouses and planters made by Habitat volunteers are also for sale.

“We have lots of people who buy here,” said Habitat for Humanity Westchester CEO Jim Killoran. “We have folks who are first-time homebuyers. Small contractors like to shop here and we have people who just like to save money.”
High school clubs from the area were instrumental in getting the building ready over the summer. The building once was home to CSC Furniture.

Getting area high school and college students to work at sites like the ReStore or other Habitat projects is a valuable experience beyond resumé building, offered Killoran. “Some of these volunteers come from homes where the parents are very successful. For their kids to see how fortunate they are is beneficial both for them and for the community.”

It is indeed a good experience, said Rye’s Owen Elrifi, who heads up the network of Habitat for Humanity Westchester high school clubs. Elrifi, a senior at Horace Mann, is also president of the school’s HHW club.

At the celebration, entertainment was provided by the Yonkers-based Fire Drumline, a group of 40 children ages 7 to 16 who have been led for the past four years by Port Chester native Michael Clemons.

Habitat for Humanity Westchester has several fundraising projects in the works, along with daily projects. On November 2, the group will sponsor a walkathon from Yonkers to Larchmont, marking the 50th anniversary of The War on Poverty initiative begun by President Lyndon Johnson in 1964. “We should have ended this war a long time ago,” said Killoran.