Home ReSource was founded in 2003 by two University of Montana graduates - Lauren Varney & Matt Hisel - who conceived of a retail operation that reduces construction and demolition waste while contributing to a local, green economy. What started as a volunteer-run building materials reuse center on Kent Street is today a community sustainability center that keeps 900+ tons of material out of the landfill each year, provides materials and services to over half of Missoula households, and has strong community partnerships, efficient operations, and a growing suite of Community Sustainability Programs.
Our reused building materials store is the thriving heart of Home ReSource's nonprofit Community Sustainability Center. We were founded as a building materials reuse center in the back of a garage, and have since moved and grown to the point that we estimate that we touch over half of Missoula households every year with our affordable materials, friendly customer service, and Community Sustainability Programs. We stock a wide variety of building materials, and many things that - with a little creativity - can be building materials for your next DIY project, home renovation, or creative reuse art creation.
Community Workshops teach reuse skills to students and community groups like Youth Homes, Girl Scouts, and Mountain Home Montana. These workshops teach shop safety, reuse, and job training skills to groups. Students have the option to build something they keep - like a coat rack or birdhouse made out of reclaimed wood - or they can build larger items for other nonprofits around town (such as raised garden beds for the Missoula Food Bank). Groups leave our shop with lifelong skills and a sense of accomplishment and empowerment.