We believe that
everyone
deserves a decent place to live.
We help families find strength, stability and self-reliance through affordable homeownership.
When you step into the Habitat ReStore, you’re not just browsing cabinets, doors, or flooring—you’re stepping into opportunity. Here, families stretch their budgets, small contractors grow their businesses, and entire communities build futures.
See how one ReStore customer found and used quality materials to create a dream home for his family. 
Igor shows the Habitat team plans used to renovate his historic home in the avenues.
Igor’s Story
Igor came to Utah from Kazakhstan with a dream: to provide for his family and use his skills as a builder. Starting a new business in a new country was tough. Competing with big companies seemed impossible.
That changed when Igor discovered the affordable building materials at Habitat ReStore. With support from the ReStore team and his new company—Unique Assets—he could take on projects, deliver high-quality results, and start building a reputation.
Then came the biggest project of all: building his own family home. 
Igor and his wife, Rebecca, show the tile, cabinetry, and mirrors purchased from the ReStore.
From Renovation Roots to Building Unique Assets
In February 2024, Igor purchased his historic home, a milestone that marked the culmination of years of hands-on experience gained through prior renovation projects. His passion for building and design crystallized into a business venture after the success of his Parade of Homes project, where community recognition and constructive partnerships motivated him to establish Unique Assets—a company grounded in values of people-centered service, quality craftsmanship, and collaboration with contractors and suppliers.
His relationship with Restore began serendipitously while adding a small extension to his house: a visit to a different location introduced him to the store’s resources, later expanded by discovering the downtown Salt Lake City store. Over time, ReStore became integral to his workflow, offering affordable, sustainable materials that not only supported his projects but also embodied his ethos of building thoughtfully and responsibly.
Rebecca shows photos of the property before renovation, which had severe flood damage.
Confronting the Home’s Hidden Challenges
When Igor and his team started the renovation on the property, which was built in 1906, there were some challenges:
- Severe water damage along one side of the house, especially affecting the upper floor and windows.
- Rotted stone, soffits, and other structural elements due to water exposure and a sprinkler being left on.
- Damaged and non-repairable windows, particularly on the upper floor.
- The basement was very short and not livable, requiring excavation and finishing.
- The house’s original configuration was outdated, with small rooms and a layout that needed to be opened up for modern living.
- Additional repairs included replacing or adding structural beams, moving and replacing windows, updating bathrooms, and addressing general wear and tear throughout the property.
Overall, the renovation required extensive repairs to water-damaged areas, structural updates, and modernizing the layout and finishes.
A House Renovation with ReStore Finds
Igor’s home is more than a house—it’s a showcase of what’s possible when you combine creativity, sustainability, and community resources. Nearly every room tells a story of reclaimed materials turned into something beautiful.
Inside the Home:
- Bathrooms: stylish floor and wall tiles, vanities, tubs, mirrors, towel holders, heated floors, and custom glass shower enclosures.
- Kitchen & Living Room: hardwood floors, custom cabinets, baseboards, blinds, and even extra fridges for family gatherings.
- Entryways: modern entry doors, benches, mirrors, and custom wardrobes built from ReStore panels.
- Basement: practical vinyl floors, custom shelves and desks, decorative wood panels, and a ping pong table for family fun.
Exterior:
- Striking facade stone and custom garage doors.
- Planters, LED exterior lighting, and safety handrails.
- Ornamental tiles that add beauty and durability to the parking area.
The Essentials:
- Nails, glue, insulation, lumber, primer paint, and other building basics—often overlooked but essential to success.
With every ReStore find, Igor and his team created a home that is both stunning and sustainable.
Kitchen cabinets, tile backsplash, flooring, and lighting—all found at the ReStore.
Building Community
Igor’s project is about more than one family’s home. It shows what’s possible when neighbors, small businesses, and nonprofits partner together.
- For Unique Assets construction company, the ReStore was more than a supplier—it was a true partner, helping with loading, sharing what was coming in, and supporting them from the very start.
- For the community, it means saving money, reducing waste, and making the dream of homeownership more achievable.
- For Habitat for Humanity Greater Salt Lake Area, it means every purchase helps fund affordable homeownership and critical home repairs across Salt Lake, Davis, and Tooele counties.
Igor’s journey is a great example of the power of affordable materials, sustainable building, and the community partnerships that bring dreams to life. Because here in Utah, together, we build homes, hope, and futures.
Follow Unique Assets
📷 Explore more photos of Igor’s home build: Photo Gallery
🌐 Visit Unique Assets: uniqueassets.net
📱 Follow on Instagram: @unique.assets
Salt Lake City is transforming a long-vacant parcel at 800 South, between 300 and 400 West—the former city fleet maintenance facility—into a vibrant, mixed-use neighborhood. Known as the Fleet Block Project, this redevelopment spans roughly 8.75 to 10 acres and will bring together housing, local businesses, community amenities, and public open space in a walkable, inclusive design.
What makes this effort especially hopeful is the city’s commitment to balance new investment with remembrance—to ensure the voices of neighbors, families, and communities directly affected by tragic loss help shape the transformation.
From Murals to Momentum
In 2020, the Fleet Block became a place of remembrance. Local artists and families painted murals across its walls, honoring loved ones who died during encounters with police. These murals turned a vacant city block into a place of grief, memory, and community.
Before demolition began in 2025, the city worked with families to preserve this history, commissioning professional photographs to document the murals. Now, community members are helping guide how memorials, public art, and gathering spaces will carry that spirit forward in the new neighborhood.
From Partners In Progress
In August 2025, Salt Lake City selected Mercy Housing, Habitat for Humanity Greater Salt Lake Area, and Brinshore Development to lead redevelopment of the northern parcels. Mercy Housing is one of the nation’s largest nonprofit affordable housing providers, and Brinshore has delivered other Salt Lake communities such as SPARK and Aster.
Plans call for mid-rise and high-rise housing, ground-floor retail, and internal walkways that make the block more connected and welcoming. Brinshore’s early concept includes two towers with a central plaza and more than 200 homes. New zoning allows buildings up to 125 feet tall, showing Salt Lake City’s commitment to building for the future.
The Heart of the Block: Open Space
Three acres on the southeast corner of the site will become public open space: a place where children can play, neighbors can gather, and art can inspire reflection. The design will be guided by the community through workshops, surveys, and conversations happening throughout 2025. This space will also include commissioned artwork. Construction of the open space and memorial art is expected to begin in 2027.
Community Benefits and Accountability
The Fleet Block Project is being built with a Community Benefits Agreement (CBA), ensuring that development reflects what neighbors want most: public art, local business opportunities, childcare, and affordable housing. Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall has emphasized that residents will be the ones setting these priorities, so the project remains rooted in the voices of the people who live here.
Homes That Build Strength
In Fleet Block, Habitat’s presence ensures that affordable homeownership opportunities are part of the neighborhood’s foundation. This means more families will have the chance to put down roots in the city—strengthening not only their own futures, but the future of the community as a whole.
A cornerstone of the project is the involvement of Habitat for Humanity Greater Salt Lake Area. For more than 30 years, Habitat has partnered with families across Salt Lake, Davis, and Tooele counties to help them build and buy affordable homes. Future homeowners invest hundreds of hours of “sweat equity” by helping build their homes and those of their neighbors, while volunteers and donors work alongside them. Families then purchase their homes with affordable mortgages, creating stability and self-reliance.
Looking Ahead With Hope
The Fleet Block Project is more than construction. It’s about building a neighborhood where every family has a fair chance to thrive. It’s about honoring history, lifting up voices, and creating spaces that connect people.
With strong partners, clear commitments, and a focus on dignity, Salt Lake City is turning a long-vacant block into a place filled with possibility. Together, we are building not just homes, but hope for generations to come. Find out how you can help.
When the Holiday Inn Express in Bountiful was scheduled for demolition, hundreds of beds, desks, chairs, and tables faced an uncertain fate. Instead of sending these furnishings to a landfill, they found new homes — thanks to a collaboration between Habitat for Humanity Greater Salt Lake Area and the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT). Together, we transformed demolition into opportunity, creating lasting impact for families, nonprofits, and communities across Utah.
Turning Transition into Renewal
Before the building came down, UDOT reached out to Habitat to help clear out the hotel. Our Habitat ReStore team immediately stepped in, moving furniture and household items into our retail locations.
For low- to moderate-income families, these furnishings weren’t just items — they were a chance to bring stability, comfort, and dignity into their homes.
At ReStore, shoppers now access high-quality, affordable furniture while knowing every purchase directly supports our mission of building homes, communities, and hope.
Habitat Cares in Action
Through our Habitat Cares program, valuable resources extended beyond ReStore to nonprofits across the state. Together, we partnered with organizations serving Utah’s most vulnerable communities:
- Ability Inclusion Services — We set aside 12 complete bedroom sets (queen bed with frame, armoire, dresser) for their new facility in West Valley, creating welcoming spaces for residents.
- Asian Association of Utah — With support from Jess Haro at Rooms Restored and the Malouf Foundation, we donated lobby furniture to furnish a dedicated meeting space for trafficking survivors.
- Utah Women in Trades — Volunteers from this group helped us move hotel furniture and materials into trucks. They also gained access to deeply discounted linens, towels, and lamps — resources that support women entering skilled trades.
- The Other Side Academy — We provided mattress sets for their residential program and resale stores. In return, their team assisted with logistics, multiplying the reach of our shared mission.
Our ReStore delivery drivers and dock workers managed logistics and ensured every piece reached the right destination. For The Other Side Academy, the addition of new beds meant expanding their capacity and welcoming more people into safe, stable housing — a measurable increase in lives transformed.
Building Beyond the Hotel Walls
This collaboration demonstrates that Habitat’s work goes far beyond hammers and nails. By partnering with UDOT, nonprofits, and families, we gave hundreds of items a second life — turning waste into opportunity.
- For ReStore shoppers: Affordable furnishings that transform a house into a home.
- For nonprofits: Resources that strengthen programs and extend community impact.
- For individuals served: The gift of a bed, a desk, or a table — along with dignity, stability, and hope.
Together, We Build Hope
Every demolition is also a chance to build something greater. The story of the Holiday Inn Express didn’t end with rubble; it lives on in homes, classrooms, workshops, and safe places for recovery across Utah.
When we work together, we turn transition into transformation. And that’s what Habitat does best: bringing people together to build homes, communities, and hope.
You can join this story. Every purchase at our Habitat ReStore helps build affordable housing right here in our community. By donating gently used items or choosing to shop sustainably, you help us reduce waste, support families, and create brighter futures across Utah.
Visit our local Habitat ReStore to shop or donate gently used items by visiting our donation website: https://restore.habitatsaltlake.org/
Get ready for an unforgettable evening at the Do More Concert on September 19, 2025, at SKY SLC. This special event features a Grammy-nominated artist live in an intimate setting — a rare treat for Utah music lovers!
But this concert is about more than great music. All proceeds from ticket sales directly benefit affordable homeownership programs through Habitat for Humanity of the Greater Salt Lake Area, helping Utah families build strength, stability, and a brighter future.
Don’t miss your chance to be part of an incredible night filled with purpose and community impact.
🎟 Tickets and details: https://www.eventcreate.com/e/domore2025
