Vega manages ReStore to support Habitat
As a combat engineer in the U.S. Army, Fernando Vega’s mission was to help clear paths for infantry and armor troops to do their jobs. He deployed to Iraq twice.
As manager of the Columbus Area Habitat for Humanity ReStore outlet at 3520 River Road, Vega’s job is to help keep a steady stream of cash flowing for the nonprofit organization’s mission of constructing and placing local families in homes of their own.
The local affiliate of Americus, Ga.-based Habitat for Humanity International has done just that more than 320 times since launching in 1984, putting that many people in houses it built. These days, the organization also rehabilitates dwellings for area residents.
Vega, 29, a native of Miami, Fla., enjoys the physical aspect of his job as he and staff work to take in donations and place them inside the retail store, while also gaining satisfaction from the simple act of helping other people.
The Ledger-Enquirer visited the Columbus resident recently at the ReStore to discuss his job, its challenges and the need to let people know what Habitat and the retail store do, and why their purchase participation is vital to the community. The executive director of the local Habitat is Louise Hurless.
This interview is edited for length and clarity.
Q. How did you land at ReStore?
A. I got out of the military Feb. 24 and started here a month or so after. The military brought me to Fort Benning after four years of doing recruiting down in south Florida. When I was getting out, we decided to stay here.
Q. As manager, you’re a people person who values good service?
A. Yes. Customer service is bar none. That’s one of things that I’m trying to promote here, making sure that the customers are getting good quality service when they come in, because we’re not a Lowe’s or a Home Depot or anything like that..
Q. Your job involves getting the word out about Habitat and ReStore?
A. Exactly. I fortunately encountered Habitat the first time through a ReStore. Then I found out that they build houses and do all of that stuff. We’re trying to reach out to the community more because this (store) is a big piece of the pie, to be able to raise funds that go 100 percent into building houses, and repairing them as well.
We do run across a lot of people who are surprised when they walk in here. They’ve told me numerous times they didn’t even know the ReStore existed.
Q. All of the stuff on your retail floor is donated?
A. Every piece of the merchandise that we have in the store is donated to us — from individuals, businesses, schools, churches. We have countless donors and we are appreciative of them. It’s all gently used equipment and merchandise. People come in here and expect to get something they can take to their home to use. So that’s what we look for when it comes to a donation, something that we can sell to the public.
Q. Are there items that are best sellers?
A. Furniture and appliances are our number one sellers, and cabinets. We get a lot of those and they go pretty quickly. We never turn away those things for that reason.
Q. Are there items you don’t take, such as bedding?
A. We’re not a thrift store. We don’t take clothes, no bedding, things like that. We’re more of a home store, so we take the hardware, furniture and appliances and similar things.
It is tax deductible. That’s one of the biggest reasons people love to donate to a nonprofit.
Q. When is ReStore open?
A. We just changed up our hours. We are now open all day on Saturday, from 9 to 5, to accommodate the community. We’re open 9 to 5 Wednesday through Saturday and 10 to 5 on Tuesdays. We’re closed on Sundays and Mondays.
Q. And you jump in there to unload things?
A. Yes, I’m definitely down and dirty. I’ve got to get in there, and my guys do a very gallant job of collecting everything and organizing everything and tagging things and making sure we get it out on the sales floor as soon as possible.
Q. I presume there is plenty of paperwork involved.
A. I do have to do a lot of paperwork with the financial side of the ReStore. But I wear different hats. I’m not afraid to get dirty and clean stuff. I’ll go out on the sales floor and talk to customers. I’ll go back to my office and do some paperwork. I like to think that I’m a steward and I’m always learning this new craft, so I’m always looking to improve on whatever I can in the store or in the warehouse. We also try to get feedback from customers, and that’s welcomed.
Q. What’s the most challenging part of your job?
A. I think for me it would be the unknown of the donations, because I’ve got to think on the fly about how we’re going to get this stuff on the sales floor. There’s a lot of problem-solving involved. I’ve got to make sure that we adjust the floor to make sure that we accommodate whatever we get in. For instance, we got a French door and frame donated to us. So we had to move a lot of our normal doors to make room for this huge French door, and that takes a lot of manpower. It’s still in here. It’s a brand new item that we brought in yesterday. It’s (valued) somewhere around $600 to $800 and we’re only selling it for $300, so there are good prices.
Q. You have to balance making money for the mission and keeping items affordable for customers so they will come back often.
A. At the end of the day, we’re thinking of the families that we’re building houses for, so we cannot give everything away (at ultra-low prices). I just can’t do that. And that’s what really keeps us going. What brought me over to Habitat was being able to help people. So I like to think of both sides of it, how can I help the community, as well as Habitat homeowners.
Q. I understand volunteers come in handy.
A. It’s hard building houses, and everyone around here relies on volunteers. So the more volunteers we can get, the more houses we’re going to be able to build. We’ve got a dedication coming up in June, and I’m looking forward to it. You’re able to see those people embrace a home to call their own. It’s great.
Q. Improving the lives of people is the bottom-line reward?
A. It is the bottom line, actually. I know that it sounds cheesy, but I believe there are people out there that naturally want to help other people. It’s not done for the money. I tell people all the time in the store that all of our proceeds are going to the homeowners. For me, as long as I get to see that, that’s what keeps me going.
Fernando Vega
Age: 29
Hometown: Miami, Fla.
Current residence: Columbus
Education: Graduate of Miami (Fla.) Coral Park Senior High School; will earn his bachelor’s degree in marketing from Post University in Waterbury, Conn., this August
Previous jobs: Served as a combat engineer in the U.S. Army, deploying twice to Iraq, and had a stint as an Army recruiter in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Family: Wife, Natalie, and three children: daughters Dyvine and Gianna and son Fernando Jr.
This story was originally published May 7, 2016 at 10:13 PM with the headline "Vega manages ReStore to support Habitat."