Melissa is our wonderful Store Manager at the Beaverton ReStore.
Tell us about yourself.
I am an East Coast transplant, brought to Oregon by the news from my best friend who lived here that she was expecting her first baby. I am so grateful I took the chance of moving 3,000 miles across the country because it has led to some of the best moments of my life thus far! I love ice hockey. I played in high school and I’m a big Bruins fan. Travel is my biggest passion and I would love to live abroad at some point in my life. I’m a huge foodie – cooking and eating brings me so much joy, especially when I’m cooking or entertaining for people I love. I’m a very creative person and especially loved the art-based courses I took while earning my Visual Communications degree in college.
What’s your role at the ReStore?
I began my Habitat journey in August of 2020 as a Store Supervisor and fell in love with the ReStore. It perfectly combined my retail experience, love for serving people, and desire to feel the greater impact of my work within my community. As a Store Supervisor, I learned the ReStore business. We help donors keep items out of landfills and provide customers with all their home improvement needs at an incredible price, and in turn, they are helping us build Habitat homes. Then I was promoted to Assistant Store Manager, which allowed me more time to devote to connecting with our incredible volunteers and ensuring they felt valued and were getting the most out of their experience every day at the ReStore. Most recently, I was promoted to Store Manager. I am so excited to step into this role and expand our reach further into our community by lending a helping hand where we can, increasing our impact, and connecting with people to teach them about our mission.
What’s your favorite part of working at the ReStore?
My favorite part of working in the ReStore is learning something new every single day! Whether that be learning what a specific tool is used for, the value of a particular brand of furniture, or something new about a volunteer – every day is different, exciting, and keeps me on my toes.
What’s something about the ReStore you wish more people knew about?
I wish more people knew that you don’t need to know anything about construction or building materials to get involved with the ReStore. I knew nothing about construction or building when I joined the ReStore team, and I have learned so much.
Three Fun Facts
1. I recently adopted two kitties- a brother and sister pair named James and Ivy, and they are the sweetest fur-babies.
2. My proudest accomplishment is completing the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s Overnight Out of the Darkness Fundraiser Walk in Boston, MA in 2019. I walked 16 miles overnight to raise awareness for suicide prevention, a cause that’s very close to my heart.
3. The next item I plan to check off on my bucket list by the end of this year is to watch the sunrise from inside a flying hot air balloon.
Thank you Melissa for sharing your ReStory with us! We love having you as part of our team.
