South of downtown Buena Vista, Colorado, at 27951 County Road 319, the ReStore run by Chaffee County Habitat for Humanity sells donated and discounted building materials to fund the affiliate’s home construction work throughout the Arkansas River valley. As a local affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International, Chaffee County Habitat channels the proceeds from ReStore sales directly into building affordable homes with families in the county, following the same model used by Habitat affiliates nationwide but staffed and stocked entirely through local donations and volunteers. Shoppers walking the aisles find a working inventory of lumber, drywall, and flooring alongside doors, windows, cabinets, and hardware, plus appliances, furniture, home decor, tools, lighting fixtures, and plumbing and electrical supplies, all priced well under standard retail because everything on the floor arrived as a donation from manufacturers, stores, contractors, or individual households clearing out a renovation.
That donation pipeline runs in both directions. Chaffee County residents, contractors, and businesses can bring in usable building materials and household goods in good, sellable condition, and the ReStore accepts a long list of specific item types while also maintaining a clear exclusion list for things like mattresses, electronics, and hazardous materials, keeping the donation process straightforward for anyone unsure what qualifies. Donations are tax deductible, and the ReStore runs a paint recycling program through PaintCare, giving Chaffee County residents a responsible way to dispose of leftover paint rather than sending it to a landfill. The store is open Wednesday through Saturday from 9 in the morning until 4 in the afternoon, with a phone line at 719-966-6004 and a dedicated ReStore email for questions about donations or current stock.
Beyond the retail side, the Chaffee County affiliate runs a Women Build initiative that gives women volunteers a dedicated track for hands-on construction experience alongside the organization’s broader home-building program, reflecting Habitat’s mission of building homes, communities, and hope through direct community participation rather than treating construction purely as a professional contractor’s job. The affiliate also leans on community fundraising events to support its work: its Mac and Cheese Bake-Off, held annually at Mt Princeton Hot Springs Resort, reached its twelfth year in July 2026, drawing sponsors, a silent auction, a live DJ, and door prizes around a pasta-themed cooking competition, a distinctly local twist on nonprofit fundraising that has become a recurring fixture on the Chaffee County calendar.
For residents of Buena Vista and the surrounding Chaffee County communities, the ReStore offers two things at once: an affordable source for building materials and household goods that would otherwise cost far more new, and a direct way to support local affordable housing simply by shopping or donating. Every dollar spent at the register and every load of usable materials dropped off keeps the affiliate’s construction projects moving forward without relying solely on grants or large donors. Chaffee County Habitat for Humanity ReStore at 27951 County Road 319 in Buena Vista, Colorado is a nonprofit home improvement resale store selling donated building materials, appliances, furniture, and home goods Wednesday through Saturday, with proceeds funding local affordable housing construction throughout the county.
