Lynette and Joel Hartzman just opened their new thrift store, Restoration Warehouse, in February, but the idea actually dates back to 2011.
Lynette Hartzman had been working in a grant-funded position with a Flint nonprofit organization where part of her role was doing surveys and data collection in the Flint area, and then designing programming to meet the needs that were identified. She eventually left that position, but also had significant information that she wanted to deploy to solve problems and help people in the community.
“I saw a lot of things in the Flint area that were gaps in services and just a lot of needs,” she said. “I left that position, but I still had all of this data.”
That experience resulted in the formation of a nonprofit organization called Shammah Outreach and Consulting Services, and a community space called B Light Restoration Center, located at 805 Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue. There, they provide services and resources for people in the community struggling to meet basic needs.
“The neighbors we serve call it the coffee shop,” said Lynette Hartzman, who originally moved to Flint around 2006 after working in the community as a teacher. Joel Hartzman moved here after he and Lynette got married in 2017. “We serve people who are in survival mode due to homelessness, addiction, mental illness.”
The newly launched thrift store component of Hartzman’s work began from conversations she’d initially had with the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC), an international nonprofit and ministry that provides services that include disaster relief, community development, and support for people facing poverty, conflict, and oppression, prior to launching Shammah Outreach. She initially didn’t want to start her own nonprofit, so she reached out to MCC to explore starting a Flint chapter. That didn’t materialize, but they did share an idea for how to build more capacity within her nonprofit.
“One of the things that was suggested from their representative was, you should start a thrift store because every nonprofit needs sustainability,” Lynette Hartzman said. “It (the thrift store idea) got kind of put on the back burner. But over time, that’s something that I really saw was necessary was some sort of sustainability. Currently at our downtown location, we’re only open three mornings a week and we really need to be open every day. The goal is to provide structured activities for people every day that are empowering. Our folks really need a sense of community and they don’t get that if we’re only open for breakfast a couple mornings a week.”
Last year, the Hartzmans acquired what was formerly an HVAC Bootcamp training facility located at 2905 E. Court Street near Dort Highway. They’ve made some renovations and improvements inside the facility, and plan to add more signage and do some exterior work as the weather improves.
“It did take a lot to get the place up and going,” Joel Hartzman said. “We took ownership in October. And there was a lot of stuff to do and there still is, but we’re working at it as we go.”
The grand opening was February 3, and the store is currently open Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Thursday from 11:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., and Saturday from noon to 4 p.m. More information about the store, special promotions, and other news is available on their Facebook page.
Currently, the store is stocked with a wide range of thrift, vintage, and overstock clothing and household items. There’s also a “gift shop” area in the front of the store, where people can buy things like greeting cards or unique items that are made, repurposed, or upcycled by people served by the nonprofit and sold there.
“We have a little bit of everything,” Lynette Hartzman said.
So far, the community response to the store has been positive. Their location, near the busy intersection of Court Street and Dort Highway, provides good visibility. The only challenge so far has been that the building has not been occupied for a while, but when signs go up, they’re hoping even more people stop in.
“Part of our struggle has been just because this hasn’t been a retail location for a long time,” Lynette Hartzman said. “But people are now starting to drive by and go, ‘Oh, there they are!’ There is a lot of traffic on this road, so that is a positive. Our little catch phrase that we use is, ‘Where your bargain brings hope.’”
They also accept donations, but because they have limited staffing and space, it is recommended to call (810) 447-0387 first to make arrangements. The Hartzmans hope that, eventually, the store is profitable enough to provide employment opportunities at the store and in the community for people looking for stable employment and the chance to build job skills and engage in the community.
“What we want to do is get enough money raised to be able to hire people to work here, so we can be open every day,” Lynette Hartzman said. “And we want to take them out this summer and do community cleanups. So instead of avoiding our neighbors, people will see them out doing community cleanups and being a part of the restoration in Flint.”
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