Operations
Evaluate technology needs
In order to operate a Community ReUse Center, you will need software and hardware, internet and phone services. You will need to determine what services you'll offer online, how files will be shared amongst employees, and more. Write down what technology tools the Community ReUse Center has access to now, what you will need to get started, what tools you'd like to acquire in the future.
Questions
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How will you keep track of inventory, donations, bookkeeping, paperwork, etc?
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How many computers, printers, telephones, and other equipment will you need?
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Who will be in charge of fixing tech problems?
Finger Lakes ReUse's Story
Finger Lakes ReUse tracks inventory and sales through Shopify Point of Sale and a customized pricing portal. Our internal documents, such as employee timesheets and grant proposals are through Microsoft Office. The bookkeeping function runs on QuickBooks Financial for Nonprofits.
Identify a location!
Finding a suitable location for the Community ReUse Center may be a mighty task. We recommend forming a Siting Committee, even temporarily, to help work through the details and harness the expertise that is likely in your community. You'll need enough space to accept donations, process, store, and sell your inventory, as well as space for offices. The more space you can get, the more materials you can process, but larger spaces tend to be more expensive. Come up with a price range and desired amount of square footage, but prepare to be flexible. You can only start your business in a space that is available (or can be soon), so you'll need to work with the options you have. Expansion is quite typical of startup reuse operations within the first five years -- and likely sooner.
Questions
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Is anyone willing to temporarily donate space? Is it legal to operate there? How much can you afford to spend on a location?
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What is available in your area? How much space can you use? Are there features you absolutely must have (for example, a parking lot)?
Tips
Visibility is key! The more accessible and visible your location is, the easier it will be to get customers to come to your store. Be sure there is a convenient place for vehicles.
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Some CRCs have worked with their city or county to identify municipally owned vacant space that can be used free of change or at a reduced rental fee.
Finger Lakes ReUse's Story
We spent many months searching for the perfect space for Finger Lakes ReUse, and it took a long time to find the right space. We hoped to find a location with 25,000-65,000 square feet, but ended up finding a space that was 7,000 square feet in a shopping plaza next to a main highway in Ithaca. Within two years, we expanded into the retail space next door; five years after that, we purchased a second location six miles away -- a 17,000-square-foot building across town, near our Solid Waste agency and the downtown Ithaca area, bringing our total square footage up to our original target. Five years after that, we expanded at our original location, bringing that space to 30,000 square feet. We also now utilize two warehouses to store and manage “overflow” and “surge” material, informing and highlighting the case to increase capacity for the reuse industry as a whole.
Determine the employees necessary to launch the operation
Reuse is labor intensive, and you will need some employees at the Community ReUse Center. Employees are expensive, so you will likely have to start out small and expand over time, and engage volunteers throughout your efforts.
Tips
Balancing employees with volunteer support is key, as this work is labor intensive and it is challenging to support all the labor with fair-paying wages and benefits.
Finger Lakes ReUse's Story
Finger Lakes ReUse’s planning was led by our now CEO Diane Cohen, who coordinated the planning project for 2½ years. Once we secured funding, we started with four employees: an Executive Director, Financial Director, Administrative Manager, and Operations Manager. Before we opened the doors, we hired two part-time retail assistants and a full-time warehouse assistant. We also had two dedicated volunteers helping out 20-30 hours per week. Before we secured our first location, we worked in office space that was available at Tompkins County Solid Waste. The work we did as we prepared to open our doors included securing a location, securing donations and funding, setting up inventory and accounting software, creating policies, outreach, and more.