The building’s small parking lot fills up quickly as patrons arrive to shop for standard — and not so standard — merchandise.

Inside, on the first floor, a middle-aged couple looks at cabinets, while trying unsuccessfully to maintain control of two lively boys.

Downstairs, a young woman picks out a corner sink for her bathroom but prefers the plumbing features on the smaller sink on the bottom shelf. She wavers and asks her friend for advice.

At the end of the building, an elderly man looks for the perfect-sized door to fit an older home. He patiently pulls a measuring tape out of his coveralls as he wanders between rows and rows of doors.

It could be a Saturday morning at any common building-supply store, except this is a nonprofit business, and all of the inventory is used. This is Bellingham’s REStore, a place where people have the unique option of buying recycled building materials. The result is something between a garage sale, hardware store and antique shop.

Antique doorknobs sit in a glass display case, five-foot slabs of marble stand across from old-growth wainscoting, and used urinals are found alongside the toilets and sinks. Handwritten signs help customers navigate the ever-changing inventory. A tall, slender pole might go unnoticed, except for a “chim chim uh nee” clue strategically placed at eye-level. As if on a treasure hunt, shoppers look up to discover a chimney broom for five bucks.

The personalized marketing tactics reflect a staff that cares about the store’s purpose. Instead of market fads and bottom lines, the store sets its goals and objectives with a mission “to prevent still-usable building materials from going to waste.”

“We’re about saving natural resources,” Dave Bennick, field crew manager, said. Bennick has worked for REStore since it opened in 1993 and is committed to its goals.

“There are better causes, but this is mine,” he added.

The store’s staff shares his convictions, Bennick said, because it’s part of the nonprofit’s hiring process. During their interviews, potential employees are asked why they want to work for REStore or what they know about the organization’s goals.

“They’re not just here to get a check,” he said. “They’re here to make a difference.”

Bennick said that unlike some environmental issues, the store’s crusade to interrupt the steady flow into landfills is something everyone can stand behind.

“The community knows we’re on their side,” Bennick said. “We’re trying to keep landfills on a diet while providing resources that people can’t find or afford anymore.”

In 1993, the Cedarville landfill was on the verge of closing, and people in Whatcom County were beginning to understand the logic behind reusing materials. People started talking about the idea of recycling building materials in Whatcom County.

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