GALENDAR

August

Los Angeles Hoo-Hoo Club - Aug. 13, mini conference, Diamond Bar Country Club, Diamond Bar, Ca.

American Hardware Manufacturtrs AssociationAug. 14'19' Hardware Industry Week & 37th annud National Hardware Show, McCormick Place/McCormick Place West, Chicago'

National Woodwork Manufacturers AssociationAug. 15-1E , summer meeting, The Broadmoor Hotel, Colorado Springs, Co.

Wood Moulding & Millwork ProducersAug. 18'21, summer meetings, Santa Barbara Biltmore Hotel, Santa Barbara' Ca.

Lumber Assocl*ion of Southern CsliforniaAug. 19, board of directors, New Otani Hotel, Los Angeles, Ca'

Baker-Hamilton Div. of Callfornia Hardware Co,Aag.22, show, Community Convention Center, Sacramento, Ca.

Builder Mart of AmericaAug. 25, Internal Controls and Administration seminar, Granada Royale Hotel, Convina, Ca'

Builder Mort of America - Aug. 2.6, International Controls and Administration seminar, Airport Hilton, San Francisco, Humboldt Hoo-Hoo ClubAtrg. Tl ' golf tournament, Baywood Golf and Country Club, Arcata, Ca.

California Hardware Co. - Aug. 29, market, Convention Center, Pasadena, Ca.

September

Yakime HrrdwrreSept. 12, annual dealer market, Yakima Convention Center, Yakima, Wa.

American Ladder Institute - Sept. 12'14, fall meeting' Stonebridge Inn, Snowmass Village' Co.

Hoo-Hoo Internetiond 90th Convention and Australian Forest Products ConferenceSept. 13-15, Wentworth Hotel, Melbourne, Australia.

California Redwood AssociationSept. 14, annual meeting' Eureka Inn, Eureka, Ca.

Western Wood Products AssociationSept. 1E'21, fall meeting, Marriott Hotel, Newport Beach, Ca.

Nationel Xitchen/Beth WeekSept. 1E'2.6' industry sponsored promotion.

Arizona Hardware Co.SePt. munity Center, Mesa, Az. 19-20, show, Mesa Com-

California Management ConferenceSept. 19'21' Alisal Ranch, Solvang, Ca.

Morse Hardware Co. - Sept. 20, show, Holiday Inn, Bellingham, Wa.

Mountain States Lumber & Building Material Dealers Associa' tionSept. 23-25, 89th annual convention' Sheraton Denver Tech Center Hotel, Denver, Co.

Red Cedar Shingle & Handsplit Shake BureauSept. 24' annual meeting, Sea-Tac Red Lion Inn, Seattle, Wa.

Townfey Hrrdware Co.Sept. A'Xi'matket, Currigan Hall, Denver. Co.

Want to see your organization in print? Send us information including date and place on your next meeting, convention, or social event for the Calendar. Please make sure that we receive it at least six weeks ahead of the date and be sure to include your name, address, and telephone number.

Bill Fishman & Affiliates

11650 lberia Place

San Diego, Ca. 92128 fraught with tradition. I've seen, and sometimes been a party to, the overthrow ol some that had made "lumberyards" f nnOIf lON! Remember the song poor relail merchants. I've watched other I "Tradition" from "Fiddler On the traditionsremainunbudged. InthetradiRoof"? I've always had mixed emotions tions of the lumberyard of the 1960 s it about those lyrics. While I find tradition wos dictated that: warm and comforting in culture, I've a "To be a successful lumberman been bothered by tradition in business. you must start your career by l've always considered tradition in unloadingboxcars." business as a deterrent to progress. I've a "Paneling is sold by the square always had a fear that as I matured, I too foot." would succumb to tradition. Most of the time I've been able to accept change. This week I found it difficult.

The home center and lumber and building material industry has been a "Lumberyard store hours are 7:30 to 4:30 daily and 7:30 to noon on Saturday. " o "The retail lumber business is recession proof. " o " Do-it-yourselfers do not install roofing. " o "To have a complete selection, nanelins musl he \locked in 7 ft. and 8 ft. heights." a "Plumbers don't shop in building material stores."

"Ol'l'er your own credit terms. Visa and Master Card are u ll ncccssa r\' ' ' "( ustonrcrs nlust nol be permitted to 5clert thcir orr n dimcn'ion lumber f'rom the bunks."

As a consultant. the one tradition I've perpetuated is "Guard your lumber imagefor as goes lumberso goes the rcst of the store. " I learned that in myearly' days at Forest City in Cleveland. As we opened new stores we took extreme care to visually merchandise the floor with a major representation of lumber and building materials. Our store layouts dictated that lumber & building material display occupy 5090 of the store up front immediately left or right of the store entrance.

Some years I left unspent huge amounts of accrued major appliance coop advertising so as not to overshadow our lumber image in the newspaper. We were even able to accurately project the growth pattern of new stores by whether the new store manager came from the lumber or non-lumber side of the business. Those new units whose store manager was lumber-experienced matured faster.

Well, this week the company announced that the Forest City stores will be reformatted and that product emphasis will be changed to offer their customers what their current surveys indicate they are seeking elsewhere. Lumber and building material will no longer occupy their previous share of floor space.

The company decision is most likely very considered and will probably prove profitable, but it's still a difficult one for me to accept. I kind of liked that old tradition. It sure wore well when success was measured in millions of dollars of retail volume.

It's evidently a very different game in the hundreds of millions of dollars ballpark. But then again, maybe we're not talking about the lumber and building material business anvmore