The Architectural Reuse Company that put disadvantaged people to work saving Dayton’s historic home materials from the landfill will close its own doors by late July.
ARC’s teams deconstructed over 200 vacant, blighted homes while diverting more than 75 percent of the materials from landfills during the past three years, according to ARC managing partner and founder James B. Kent II. ARC sells the salvaged materials in its warehouse store.
“Our social enterprise has been a wonderful experience that unfortunately could not ultimately solve the economic balance necessary to remain solvent,” said Kent.
Many of ARC’s over 60 workers are ex-convicts who the company trained in construction trades such as asbestos abatement and project management. Kent informed them that they would be shutting down a week and a half ago.
“You would think this is menial labor; it’s not. They’re being taught engineering, customer service and how to be part of the community,” said manager Tyler Payne. “When we come out to the community, children say, ‘I wish I could do that,’ and I hear one of my crewmates say, ‘You can; stay in school, don’t make the mistakes I made, learn what you can.”
ARC will host a liquidation sale today from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at its 280 N. Findlay St. shop in Dayton with 20 percent off all salvaged architectural materials. The store will continue to sell material every Saturday until ARC closes.
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