Moving The Habitat Business From Storefronts To Online
By Jondi Gumz
When the Santa Cruz County health officer ordered the community to shelter in place on March 16, Habitat Monterey Bay had to close its home improvement stores, one on the Santa Cruz Westside and one in Seaside.
“Closing was a big hit to our income,” said Betsy Powers, Habitat Monterey Bay’s resource development director, who joined the organization in December, about the same time Satish Rishi started as CEO.
The two ReStores, which sell donated building supplies at a fraction of retail prices, are the main source of cash for the nonprofit, which helps families build an affordable home for themselves.
Of the 23 Habitat Monterey Bay full- and part-time employees, 17 work at ReStores.
Rishi, who spent 30 years in Silicon Valley with a stint at Rambus as senior vice president and chief financial officer, brought his understanding of cash flow to the situation and applied for the Payroll Protection Program loan.
With the loan approved, no one was laid off, Powers said.
Office staff could work from home, but retail employees could not.
So Nick Kite, who oversees both ReStores, pivoted to retail online. With a background in digital marketing and employees taking photos of merchandise, he upgraded the habitatmontereybay.org website for people to create an online shop.
About a third of inventory is online.
You can search for items by price or by category, such as furniture, bathroom or appliance.
Sales are about $1,000 a week, down from $20,000 a week for in-stores sales, “but something is better than nothing,” Powers said.
Office staff took pay cuts but “a job with a pay cut is better than no job,” Powers added.
To boost income, Habitat Monterey Bay is planning a virtual silent auction called “House and Home” May 30.
Volunteer coordinator Allie Wilson heads this fundraiser, which will benefit “My House My Home,” a program to build accessory dwelling units at properties owned by senior citizens who need a source of income to stay in their home.
So far, five of the units — sometimes called granny flats — have been built, all in Santa Cruz County, so Habitat is looking for an interested homeowner in Monterey County.
Anyone interested can email [email protected] or [email protected].
•••
www.habitatmontereybay.com/shop