A new store on Inkster Boulevard will not only give Winnipeggers another place to shop for their home renovation needs — it will help a global charity build new houses for families in need.

Habitat for Humanity officially opened its third ReStore in Winnipeg Thursday, located at 1565 Inkster Blvd.

Habitat's ReStores have become well known to Winnipeggers as places to pick up lumber, windows, lighting fixtures, and other new and used building materials and furniture — but many may not know the global chain of stores started here almost 30 years ago.

"Five volunteers from Winnipeg opened Habitat's first ReStore in 1991 with the idea of providing a home improvement store shopping experience that would serve the public and generate funds to support Habitat's mission — that is to promote safe, decent, affordable housing for low-income working families," said Steve Krahn, Habitat for Humanity Manitoba's vice-president of program delivery.

Today there are over 100 ReStores across Canada and more than 1,000 worldwide.

A Habitat for Humanity Manitoba build at the University of Winnipeg in 2017. The charity's ReStores help Habitat raise money to build affordable housing for people in need. (CBC)

Tim Hayward, the chair of the board of Habitat for Humanity Manitoba, says what emerged out of Winnipeg became a tried and true formula.

"It's a Winnipeg's thing. It's a Manitoba's thing. When we talk about the ReStore, it's something that has been unrolled globally," Hayward said.

"We have fantastic donors and supporters of Habitat and a lot of them can donate gifts in kind, not necessarily dollars. So that was the birth of the ReStore."

Contractors donate lumber, and other organizations are happy to get rid of tail ends of things, Hayward adds. Everything the social enterprise takes in has value and can be sold, he said.

The success of the first two Winnipeg ReStores, and one in Brandon, is a testimony to the strength of the communities and the local spirit, said Hayward.

"We come up with a ton of great ideas in this city, and when we promote them and let people know how they can support our broader goals, people are quick to jump on that."

In addition to helping Habitat generate money for its housing work, the stores have environmental benefits, said Krahn, including over 3.5 million pounds of waste he said has been diverted from landfills in Winnipeg alone through donations to the stores.

Habitat's ReStores sell donated building materials and home furnishings. There are now three of the stores in Winnipeg, and more than 100 across Canada. (John Einarson/CBC)

Mayor Brian Bowman was on hand for Wednesday's ribbon cutting of the new location, which received financial support from Wawanesa Insurance and the Winnipeg Foundation. The mayor praised Habitat's work.

"I talk a lot about building our city for the future. Habitat for Humanity has literally been doing that since their inception in 1987," Bowman said.

"They have been working with all walks of life in our community from every corner of our city to build safe, affordable housing."

He ended his address by encouraging Winnipeggers to support the stores by shopping and donating.

And there may be more stores in the city in the years to come, Hayward said.

"Time will tell," he said. "If the community can support it, absolutely."