Golumns make astand

Ir HEY ARE not an obvious profit center. You typically I won't see racks full of themeven at the 100,000 sq. ft. "we have it all" home center. But columns can bring a store an upscale image and an upswing in profits, even if you're tight on storage and display space.

"Columns carry a high markup because even though they look and feel expensive, they're not," says Bill Anders, Pacific Millwork Inc., Marysville, Ca. "It's a nice accessory business for a lumberyard." Think of columns, you think of the massive marble pillars of ancient Greece and Rome or the stately supports of the plantations of the Old South. But use ofcolumns is spreading across the country and from out front to indoors.

Anders estimates that at least two-thirds of all columns are now used inside the home, as room dividers and pony walls, near entryways or to divide living rooms from kitchens. It's that look of indoor elegance that has rejuvenated the column business in the 1990s.

The key for the retailer is to get consumers thinking about applications for columns in their own homes. "You have to show the customer what they're like to create an idea, a concept, a value," Anders said. "People want to buy a certain feeling. When they can see a column in a classy display with brochures to take home, it gets their minds working.

Consumers who can see, touch and feel the products and hold on to brochures explaining the ease of installation and showing creative room settings become likely sales. Pacific Millwork and Henderson. Black & Greene have created a new display,6 feet long and 8 feet high, featuring three fullsized columns. "Most retailers put it near the front of their store, and it stops people cold," he said. "It's like a magnet. It's one of the most beautiful displays there and people then pick up the brochure."

And because columns are not weekend projects done on a whim, a large inventory is not necessary. "There are a few retailers who inventory some of the more popular sizes in interior columns, 8 feet high and 8, l0 and 12 inches wide," Anders said. "They'll have two to four of each on hand, but the majority don't stock them in inventory. Service (from distributors) is so good, they can literally receive the next day what they sell off their displays."

Three major types of columns are available: wood, aluminum and fiberglass. Traditional wood columns are usually milled from pine or redwood for indoor or outdoor use. Wood is easy to work, install and maintain. If it cracks, it can be puttied, sanded and refinished without much trouble.

Story at a Glance

Golumns offer high image and high margins. . how to display and inventory them wood vs. aluminum vs.fiberglass.

Wood looks good and feels warm. "It has the touch and feel of elegance," said Ted Carlson, HB&G, Troy, Al. "It's what a column is perceived to be. If you rap on it, wood gives that solid, secure sound. People expect it to be wood."

Wood columns also offer add-on sales opportunities. "The misconception is since they usually include the cap and base, they come complete," Anders said. "Actually they first must be sealed properly, sanded properly and finished properly. You can sell sealer, sandpaper, paint brushes, wood putty, primer, topcoat and connectors."

The drawback of wood is its durability outdoors. They require regular protection for weathering and insect attack, repairs and repainting. Aluminum columns are now available which replicate wood's beauty and load bearing strength, but eliminate the durability and maintenance problems. "They are used a lot in remodeling to replace deteriorating wood columns," said Jim Moseley, Columns, Inc., Pearland, Tx. "People have wood columns, they rot out and they replaced them withwoodcolumns, whichinturn rotout, and the process continues. If they use aluminum, it costs less money and they don't ever have to worry about replacing them."

Columns, Inc. produces knock down aluminum columns to make shipping, storing, delivering and installing easier. "Wood columns require a lot of rack storage and trucking space," said Moseley. *With aluminum columns in knock down form, you can fit 50 to 60 in the space of an average office desk."

Aluminum is lighter, easy to install and cut, and comes prime coated or with a baked-on finish, he says. One difference is aluminum columns don't have a taper; they're the same diameter from top to bottom.

Newest on the scene are fiberglass columns. These sturdy supports won't rot or attract termites, and repairs are not difficult. Visador's Marbleine columns are made of 45Vo marble mixed with polymers and spun fiberglass.

The columns are light, easy to handle, saw, drill, glue and screw. They resist fire and impact damage, wet and dry rot, termites, splitting and checking. They must be protected with a good quality exterior paint.