Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity

The idea that “when God closes a door, He opens a window” took on new meaning earlier this year in Minneapolis, Minn. In this case, when God closed the doors of Lampert Yards’ Builder’s Surplus store, He didn’t just open a window. He opened a place that would offer lots of windows—and hardware and tools and other building materials—all in the service of building more simple, decent homes.

The owner and operator of a chain of full-service lumber and building materials stores in five states, Lampert Yards made a business decision to liquidate its Minneapolis store in December 2006. The company then made the unexpected decision to donate that entire Builder’s Surplus business to Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity, a more-than-$1 million gift including use of the building rent-free, the full stock of inventory and the wages of the store’s two employees for the first few months of the new ReStore’s operation.

Twin Cities Habitat had been developing a business plan to launch a ReStore for several years, with the hopes of opening a building materials retail outlet by Memorial Day 2007. Lampert Yards’ donation made that goal happen well ahead of schedule, as the ReStore opened its doors on Jan. 2 and has now enjoyed several months of sustained growth. The two former Lampert’s employees are now Twin Cities Habitat staff and have been joined by a third ReStore staffer, with store business hours expanding to include Saturdays.

“The decision to donate the business to Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity, rather than close the store, felt like the right thing to do,” says Lampert Yards CEO Dan Fesler.

“It’s amazing to stand in this store and realize that it’s our Habitat ReStore,” says Kevin Campana, Twin Cities’ ReStore project manager. “I have to pinch myself from time to time to remind myself that I’m not dreaming.” 

Habitat World