Since 1993, The RE Store has run one of the more unusual retail models in Bellingham, Washington: a used building materials warehouse that operates less like a shop and more like a nonprofit salvage and reuse hub. Located at 2309 Meridian Street, the organization exists to keep good material out of landfills and out of the demolition dumpster, taking in doors, windows, cabinetry, lumber, hardware, and other reclaimed building components alongside vintage furniture and housewares, then reselling all of it to the public at a fraction of new material cost.
The retail floor is open Monday through Saturday from 10 in the morning to 6 in the evening, with a separate donation window running 10 to 5 the same days, a schedule built around both shoppers hunting for reclaimed materials and contractors or homeowners dropping off usable leftovers from remodels and teardown jobs. Paint is a notable donation category: The RE Store accepts leftover paint specifically for reuse and recycling, diverting a material that is otherwise difficult to dispose of responsibly.
What sets The RE Store apart from a typical architectural salvage yard is the scope of its mission beyond the sales floor. The organization runs Salvage Services, offering deconstruction as a sustainable alternative to standard demolition so that usable materials from a building are pulled out and resold rather than hauled to a landfill in one pass. It also operates a job training arm aimed at helping displaced workers build skills and find long term employment, plus a free manufacturing waste diversion program that helps local manufacturers reduce the amount of scrap material they send to landfills. On top of that, the organization runs do it yourself workshops teaching reuse and repair skills, turning the store into a hub for hands on learning as much as a retail destination.
That combination, retail plus salvage services plus job training plus manufacturer partnerships, is what The RE Store means when it describes itself as more than a store. It is simultaneously a discount source for building materials, an environmental nonprofit focused on construction waste diversion, and a workforce development program, all funded through the same Meridian Street storefront. For Bellingham area homeowners doing a renovation, the practical draw is straightforward: doors, trim, cabinetry, and hardware at prices well below retail, sourced from real local deconstruction and remodeling jobs rather than manufactured new. For contractors and property owners planning a teardown, the Salvage Services option offers a way to offset disposal costs while supporting the nonprofit’s mission.
Bellingham’s Meridian Street corridor puts the store within easy reach of the rest of the city’s home improvement retail, but The RE Store’s nonprofit structure and job training mission set it apart from any big box comparison. The shop also welcomes volunteers and workshop instructors, extending its community role beyond paying customers and donors alone. In short, The RE Store is a Bellingham, Washington nonprofit that sells reclaimed building materials and vintage home goods while running deconstruction services, waste diversion programs, and job training for displaced workers, all built around keeping usable materials out of the landfill.
