ReNew Salvage returns to Brattleboro with reclaimed building materials

A fixed location now gives the company regular public hours and a more consistent place for people interested in reuse to gather.

A familiar name in reuse has reappeared in town after a long absence. ReNew Salvage has opened a new storefront at 234 Elliott St., giving area homeowners, contractors and weekend repairers a place to shop for salvaged construction supplies while keeping usable material out of the waste stream.

The shop serves as the retail face of Deconstruction Works, a Vermont company that takes apart buildings carefully so doors, windows, lumber and other components can be recovered for future use. The business has been operating in the reclamation field for years, but customers often had to arrange visits in advance or buy items directly from active job sites. A fixed location now gives the company regular public hours and a more consistent place for people interested in reuse to gather.

Eric Kruger, a member-owner of both Deconstruction Works and ReNew Salvage, said the opening brings the project back to where it began. ReNew Salvage first launched in 2004 as a nonprofit, and Kruger served as its founding executive director. The original storefront closed in 2012, after which he spent time in Ithaca, N.Y., working with Finger Lakes ReUse before returning to Vermont in 2014 to start Deconstruction Works.

The company now operates across much of the state. Kruger handles southern Vermont, New Hampshire and western Massachusetts, while business partner Tom Shea covers northern Vermont.

The Elliott Street store carries reclaimed doors, windows, cabinets, hardware, lumber and other building goods pulled from deconstruction projects. Kruger said the appeal is both practical and environmental: buyers can save money on renovations, and reusable materials avoid ending up in landfills. He also said older materials often last longer because they were made to be repaired rather than replaced.

For contractors and property owners, the business model can save money before the materials even reach the sales floor. Instead of paying to demolish a structure and haul everything away, clients can choose deconstruction so recoverable items are removed with care. The company also works with Reclaimed Materials Resource Management, a Vermont-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit, which can help homeowners who donate salvaged materials qualify for charitable tax deductions.

Marcus Jones, president of Reclaimed Materials Resource Management, said the organization was created to provide the legal structure needed for those deductions after he found there was no existing group set up to do that work. He later formed the nonprofit after learning of Kruger’s earlier arrangement with another nonprofit. Jones said the partnership allows Deconstruction Works to offer the tax benefit on deconstruction projects.

Jones also helped prepare the new storefront for business. After Kruger bought the Elliott Street building, Jones and the nonprofit devoted one to two days a week to getting the space ready. Jones, who is a licensed electrician, installed lighting, wiring and other electrical systems needed for the retail operation. He also helps staff the store when Kruger is away on deconstruction jobs.

He noted that some people still assume ReNew Salvage is itself a nonprofit, but that is no longer the case. The nonprofit role is now carried by Reclaimed Materials Resource Management.

Jones said his interest in reused building materials began early, including a treehouse his father built from salvaged parts. He later worked dismantling old barns and assisting with restoration work on 18th-century houses in Connecticut. His broader focus includes durable, energy-efficient construction methods such as rammed-earth building, which he said can last for generations while lowering heating and cooling demands.

Kruger said he has already seen former customers return to the shop, including people who had shopped there 15 years ago. He hopes the business will strengthen Brattleboro by supporting local commerce and helping homeowners keep repairs affordable through lower-cost reclaimed supplies.

ReNew Salvage has also hired its first employee whose work is dedicated entirely to the retail side of the operation. The new staff member previously worked at a reuse center in Seattle, and Kruger said the store plans to expand its hours as demand grows.

The shop is open Monday through Thursday from 4:30 to 6 p.m. and Fridays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. More information is available at RenewSalvage.net.