Milwaukee Habitat for Humanity is considering opening a new ReStore location in Wauwatosa.
Habitat is eyeing a retail property at 3201 N. Mayfair, which is occupied by At Home and American Freight, to open its resale store, according to plans submitted to the city. The nonprofit would lease 38,000 square feet of land immediately south of the At Home building from owner Fundamentals Co. Partnership, and would build a roughly 27,000-square-foot addition for the ReStore, the plans said.
The new store would include 23,000 square feet of sales floor and roughly 4,000 square feet of back-of-house space for donation drop-offs, storage and employee services. The space also includes a 1,500-square-foot mezzanine level that would be used for employee offices and a break room.
The site around the addition would be reconstructed to include 70 parking spaces and a donation drop-off drive-thru.
Milwaukee Habitat is seeking development approval for the addition to the existing building and conditional use approval for the drive-thru.
Habitat wants to begin construction in the fall with an anticipated opening in the second quarter of 2022, according to the plans.
A spokesman said Habitat leaders are still exploring an option at the location but plans remain in the research phase. The plan has not yet been approved by the organization’s board.
Milwaukee Habitat recently opened a new 31,000-square-foot ReStore in Franklin, which it relocated from its former space in Milwaukee’s Walker’s Point neighborhood.
It currently operates a ReStore in Wauwatosa, at 3015 N. 114th St. The plans do not indicate whether the proposed new location would replace that store or if it would be an additional location. Habitat’s other Milwaukee-area Restore location is at 4150 S. 108th St. in Greenfield.
Habitat ReStores are independently owned stores operated by local Habitat organizations that accept donations and sell home improvement items, including furniture, appliances, home goods and building materials at below-retail price. Proceeds are used to fund Habitat’s home-building work.
Last year, Milwaukee Habitat ReStores raised more than $600,000 for homebuilding.
Stores typically employ eight to 10 employees and four to eight volunteers dedicated to store operations, six staff for operations support and six staff dedicated to logistics operations.
