Habitat for Humanity-Spokane is working on remodeling a new location to house both its offices and Habitat Store.

The nonprofit has purchased the former Pacific Wholesale Florist building at 1805 E. Trent for its new combined office and store space, totaling about 27,000 square feet of space. Office space will take up roughly half of the building.

The remodeling project will cost about $195,000 and is set to be completed in spring 2016. Until then, Habitat-Spokane will continue to operate out of its current offices, at 732 N. Napa, and current Habitat Store space in the Spokane Business & Industrial Park, at 3808 N. Sullivan.  

The organization hopes to move into its new office and store location by next May. It will begin accepting donations at the new location Tuesday through Saturday, starting Feb. 2.

CEO Michelle Girardot says the new space’s central location will benefit the organization’s operations, increasing donation traffic and providing more volunteer opportunities. 

“This location provides us an opportunity to decrease costs and increase our revenue from goods sold at the store, the profits of which all go back into funding our homebuilding,” she says. “Being in the core of the city, we’ll also be able to ramp up brand awareness and volunteer recruiting.” 

Habitat Store is coming up on its 15-year anniversary this year, functioning as a retail outlet selling new and used building supplies, as well as household items. Since its start in 2000, the store has generated more than $2.8 million in revenue, which it has transferred to the affiliate to build homes for Spokane families. During that time, the Habitat Store has raised enough money to build 43 homes.

“This location will make it easier for the public to provide donations, keeping those materials out of landfills and creating a larger profit to enable us in our goal of eliminating poverty housing,” says Girardot.  

Since it began operating here in 1987, Habitat-Spokane has built more 260 homes in Spokane County. Girardot says the organization’s annual revenue has increased from $2.7 million last year to $4 million this year. Funding for the organization comes from its Habitat Store, mortgage payments received from families living in Habitat homes, public funding, and corporate partners, as well as donations from individuals and private foundations.

Habitat-Spokane has 17 employees, but is mostly volunteer driven, relying on the help of 8,000 to 12,000 volunteers each year. 

“We build year-round, in all kinds of weather,” says Girardot. “We do, of course, see an increase in volunteers when it’s nicer outside, but we really push for help in bad weather when we’re trying to get families into warm homes.” 

Habitat for Humanity is working on a 114-home project in Deer Park called Hope Meadows. Girardot says that project, which is the affiliate’s largest-ever build, is about to launch its second phase of infrastructure and homebuilding.