Bend-based nonprofit Furnish Hope recently celebrated the one-year anniversary of its resale boutique, Furnish Hope & Home. Located at 50 SE Scott Street in Bend, Furnish Hope & Home opened its doors with the goal of generating a sustainable revenue source to support Furnish Hope’s mission to transform empty houses into furnished homes for local residents in need. Since September of 2022, the storefront’s net proceeds have totaled nearly $83,000, which equates to 20 percent of the homes Furnish Hope has projected to service this year.
Furnish Hope’s Co-Founder Deborah Asato explains that the concept for the retail space was relatively simple. “Our goal was to select beautiful donated items to be resold in a storefront that was artistically designed and filled with high quality furniture and home décor. The profits would provide an additional revenue stream to support Furnish Hope’s operations and give us an opportunity to invite the broader community to learn about our story. To say we have been blown away by the support and response would be a huge understatement.”
Founded in 2019, Furnish Hope partners with more than 60 community service organizations to provide donated new and used furnishings and household essentials to victims of natural disasters, those fleeing domestic violence, people experiencing houselessness, and other community members in need. Since inception, over 1,400 homes have been furnished for individuals and families from LaPine to Warm Springs. A donation center on 9th Street in Bend serves as the heartbeat of Furnish Hope, where client wish lists are reviewed and fulfilled. Donated items are then loaded onto delivery trucks and moved in to waiting homes by a team of volunteers. As Asato says, “Each person we work with has experienced a hardship or trauma. It is our honor to help create safe, comforting spaces where they can heal and be renewed.”
Furnish Hope & Home extends that welcoming ethos to the entire community, offering a shopping experience with attentive staff on hand to answer questions and make design suggestions. The store flourished under the leadership of manager Tammy Rorem, who recently passed the reins to Emily Gazda. Along with a team of volunteers who have contributed more than 2,200 hours of their time, the store has surpassed all projected benchmarks for its first year of operation. In addition to shopping for themselves, customers can purchase and donate Hope Loaded gift cards. These cards are presented by staff to Furnish Hope recipients so they can personally choose the finishing touches that make their houses feel like homes. And in doing so, the mission of Furnish Hope comes full circle.
