Tim Zalinger had been doing construction work off and on for about 20 years. He saw lots of good stuff get dumped. Too many old cabinets, fixtures, and tools that were still usable were hauled off to landfills. Zalinger had an idea.
He knew of stores that recycled those materials in other places. But not Mat-Su. So Zalinger decided to start a store here. He started the nonprofit Matsu Valley Rebuild.
There are lots of thrift stores with household items like furniture and artwork here. The Valley lacked any source for used construction materials before Matsu Valley Rebuild.
Our reporter visited the store. He saw sheets of plexiglass, lots of light fixtures, and some nice kitchen cabinets, including one set with vertical slots for dinner plates. All for sale. A customer asked about concrete siding.
Matsu Valley Rebuild has changed locations twice since opening. It quickly outgrew the original space at the Trinity Lutheran Church. It moved to a warehouse in Wasilla. Then the owner sold the building.
The nonprofit purchased the property on the Palmer Wasilla Highway. Zalinger expects it to stay put.
Donations come in at a steady clip. Zalinger’s favorites are the antique tools. He also loves one-of-a-kind light fixtures. He’s happy whenever something sellable arrives that could have ended up in the landfill.
Zalinger is a man with lots of ideas. He hopes someday to have volunteers to pick up used construction materials. He hopes to offer bicycle repair classes and workshops on repairing things.
He even hopes to have a deconstruction crew. Imagine a team of people who would come to you, take apart your old shed, garage, even an old house, and salvage what was possible.
But Zalinger isn’t rushing into these projects. His approach is slow and steady. He likes that the customer base is building slowly, maybe one new customer a day. That way, the nonprofit can grow at just the right speed.
One dream almost came true this year: a tool library. When it opens, you’ll be able to borrow tools just like borrowing books from a library. Zalinger was ready to go and then the storms last winter interrupted. There’s an outbuilding by the parking lot, on its side with a slanted roof pointing down at the ground. That was going to be the tool library.
Zalinger is nonplussed. When he’s ready, he will hire a crew to rebuild.
Meanwhile, stop by Matsu Valley Rebuild. They have screws, lumber, light fixtures, windows and doors, bathroom fixtures and more…
It is open Wednesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Saturday from noon to 5 p.m. Donations are accepted during store hours until 4 p.m. The store is at 12151 East Palmer-Wasilla Highway, just outside Palmer. Check out matsuvalleyrebuild.com for what they accept.
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David Cheezem reported this Page Two article and yours truly, Lee Henrikson produced it. If you have an idea for a Page 2 topic, please email us at page2@radiofreepalmer.org.
That’s it for today and the news on Page Two on Friday July 31, 2026.