Habitat For Humanity is a non-profit organization from the United States that sells second hand and new old stock household and commercial items . They build and rehabilitate homes using work from a diverse group of people and volunteer labor for those in need.
Habitat For Humanity works in 70 countries around the world and does these projects to make a better, more inclusive and civil community by helping people that need homes.
The items they sell are furniture , lawn and garden products , Building materials, Plumbing products ie toilets, sinks, electrical products ie lighting, light bulbs, wiring, appliances and more.
The Origin and all of the Locations I have visited
I have been interested in going to Habitat For Humanity for over four years now as my parent’s friend April in Chico, California suggested the Habitat for Humanity ReStore to me and my parents as a cool place to go.
So, the first HFH location I went to was in Chico. My parents and I explored it and they had a lot of light fixtures and my favorite fixture there was a Metal Halide floodlight that was cool , but since we were in California, we traveled by plane and the light would be hard to travel with .
The first Habitat For Humanity in the Chicago area and Chicago itself ( second overall) is the HFH at Pulaski and Peterson on the Northwest Side , this is the only location within Chicago city limits. I have scored several bulbs and fixtures from this location which makes up a large part of my collection.
The Cooper Lighting 50 watt HPS flood light fixture I scored here for $12
The third HFH location was in Gallatin, Tennessee, suburb of Nashville near my cousins home in Hendersonville, TN.
I bought several bulbs of various light sources here. The next time I went to in 2020
The Cooper Lighting 65 watt CFL light fixture I scored at the Gallatin Restore for $8.
Addison, Il ReStore
The fourth HFH I went to in the Chicago Area was in Addison, Illinois on Route 53 just north of North Avenue.
My dad made it a surprise for me as he claimed we were going to a industrial place and once we got to this “industrial place” I saw the HFH sign told my dad about it and we went to this location and scored a 150 watt HPS Regent floodlight fixture for 20 bucks, a little much but still a score. I have got several bulbs and fixtures from the following.
The fifth HFH I went to was in Terre Haute, Indiana on Wabash Ave. I scored some bulbs here and a vintage light fixture for cabinets . This HFH is smaller than the others I've been to.
The sixth HFH I went to is in Charleston , Il at Lincoln Avenue and University Drive .
I scored several HID bulbs there and a fluorescent light for the underneath of cabinets.
The 7th HFH I went to is in Cape Girardeau , Missouri on Kingshighway Blvd where I have scored a $ 3 fancy LED landscape light that we installed in our yard. I have seen many
Yardblaster lights there , but they are expensive. I currently have not scored anything else here yet.
The 8th HFH I went to is in Champaign/Urbana, Illinois, but unfortunately they didn't have a good selection of anything so no score there.
The 9th and latest HFH I went to is in Arlington Heights, Illinois off of Rand Rd. and Palatine Road . This has to be one of my favorite HFH restores I have been to, great selection of lighting and light bulbs and merchandise in general. We bought a LED wall light for my grandparents as a Christmas gift here. The second time I was here, I bought a LED can light that changes color temperatures for $5 . Amazing store and will keep going to this one.
I plan to visit more Habitat For Humanity locations someday including locations in Aurora , Zion , Rockford and more throughout Illinois and maybe in other states we go to.
Salvage Yards
Salvage yards are facilities that also sell second hand and NOS household products as mentioned above , these are also good facilities for those in need and those with financial issues.
They can be independent or chain , but usually are local to the community they serve.
Some of the Salvage yards I have visited are
Vances Salvage yard formerly located in Dubuque , Iowa now located in Cuba City , Wisconsin
Vance sells building materials , lighting , furniture , home decor , nick nacks and more .
My parents have sold and bought items to him and go here every time we visit Dubuque or Galena. I have seen old HPS flood lights here but they were too big and expensive for me.
The Evanston ReBuilding Warehouse on Dempster and Hartley in Evanston is my favorite salvage store . I have scored 3 old light fixtures here and they include a Regent 35 watt HPS wall pack , A 175 watt MH wall pack and a 100 watt HPS wall sconce light , all under $10.
Ryan , an employee there likes my interest in collecting HID light fixtures and knows about future times I've been there .
The Reuse Depot in Maywood Illinois at Madison and First Avenues is a decent salvage yard but I haven't bought anything there yet but they have a big toilet selection and have some cool light fixtures that are out of my price range.
Antique Stores
I've been to many antique stores in which I've scored lights including an American Electric Lighting halogen flood light. I also scored a Holophane incandescent wall luminaire at an antique store in Cuba City , WI . Another good antique store is Copper Eagle Antiques in Charleston , Illinois , where I scored a 1970s Intermatic Malibu low voltage floodlight set for gardens.
My Thoughts On Habitat For Humanity and other Restores / Salvage Yards
I think these stores are very beneficial for people and the environment as these stores bring in items that people don't want anymore . These items can get a second owner and can be reused
Instead of going to the landfill or being thrown into the environment.
These places are also good for people with low incomes or limited money , they can afford items here instead of going to an expensive store. Support your local Habitat For Humanity or salvage yard today .