Special to The Dorchester Banner/Photography by Annie
Six design teams competed in Habitat Choptank’s ReImagine ReStore event. Each team decorated their unique room in front of the live sold-out audience.[/caption] EASTON — The Habitat for Humanity Choptank ReStore was recently the site of a showdown. Six design teams competed in ReImagine ReStore with the challenge of decorating a 10’ x 12’ empty space using items gleaned from the ReStore’s unique and ever-changing inventory of donated furniture and home improvement items. Working in front of a sold-out audience of 300 guests, each team had 60 minutes to complete the design challenge. The participating designers accented their ‘rooms’ by donating new decorative items and furniture. At the end of the event, items from the rooms went on sale. ReImagine ReStore also included a ReBoutique with items on sale that had been repurposed by local artists. Proceeds from the event benefit Habitat Choptank’s affordable home ownership program. To add additional interest to the event, each team was paired with a realtor whose job it was to market and promote their team through advance online voting. The Community Choice award with an extra 10 minutes for decorating at the live event was offered to the top vote recipient. This honor went to Jean McHale Interior Design + LaMotte Properties. “Thanks to the enthusiasm, generosity and dedication of the design teams and realtor partners that participated in our inaugural ReImagine ReStore event, we successfully sold out of tickets and generated a lot of excitement for Habitat Choptank’s ReStore. Our guests enjoyed the competition and had the opportunity to purchase some truly unique items all to benefit Habitat Choptank,” says Bruce Wellington, co-chair of the event committee. In May, the ReStore moved to 8610 Commerce Drive in Easton having outgrown its original facility on that same street. ReStores are resale outlets run by local Habitat affiliates that accept donated home improvement goods and furniture. These donated items are sold to the general public at a fraction of the retail price to help nonprofit Habitat affiliates fund the construction and rehab of homes within their communities. These homes are sold to buyers who meet Habitat Choptank’s lending criteria. Materials sold by the Habitat Choptank ReStore are donated by local retailers, contractors, churches and individuals in the community. The ReStore provides an environmentally and socially responsible way to keep good, reusable materials out of the waste stream and simultaneously provide funding for the Habitat mission in Dorchester and Talbot counties. The Habitat Choptank ReStore is located at 8610 Commerce Drive in Easton. To donate, shop, or volunteer, call 410-820-6186 or visit www.HabitatChoptank.org.