By Kathy Chaffin, salisburypost.com
Habitat for Humanity of Rowan County has purchased the Aluminum Fab and Railing manufacturing plant on South Main Street as the new location for its ReStore.
Habitat bought the 1707 S. Main St. building and 1.7 acres of land, formerly the site of the Bame Trailer manufacturing plant, for $395,000, according to Coleman Emerson, executive director of Habitat.
Elizabeth Brady, director of store operations, said the closing was Monday.
“Yesterday was a wonderful day,” she said on Tuesday. “I’m so excited.”
Emerson said the Restore will be expanding from 2,500 square feet at its 125 E. Innes St. location to 20,000 square feet at the new South Main Street store. “We are intent upon managing a resale operation which Salisbury can benefit from,” he said.
Renovations will begin almost immediately at an additional cost, he said, with much of the work being done by local enterprises. Emerson said the building will need a complete renovation.
F&M Bank is financing the project.
Jarrell Construction is the contractor for the renovation. Burl Brady is the architect, and Alex Bost is doing the design work.
Emerson said he hopes the Restore will be relocated from its East Innes Street location to the new store within six months, eight at the most. Habitat rents the East Innes Street store.
Habitat has been looking for a new location for its ReStore for more than four years, Brady said. She noticed the South Main Street building driving by and suggested that Habitat officials go look at it.
“It’s been for sale for over a year,” she said.
Brady said the site plan and interior drawings are already completed. “They’ve done an outstanding job,” she said of Brady and Bost.
Though volunteers will be helping with the renovation at some point, Emerson said much of the work requires specialized training. “Reroofing a metal building is not a volunteer task,” he said.
Brady said the expanded ReStore will sell appliances, housewares, linens, furniture and construction items such as countertops, cabinets, sinks and wallboards. “I went and picked up some water heaters today,” she said.
Emerson said Habitat tries not to turn down donations. “We don’t take clothes and books,” he said, “but we do take everything else.”
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