Mate sure tlrcydo...

That's a big, constantly-growing home improvement market out there, and folks in your area are deciding to "do something" about their homes every day. You can get a bigger share of this healthy remodeling business by taking advantage of the activities of the National Home lmprovement Council.

The NHIC has a continuous program of promotion, education, advertising, public and government relations to foster home improvement. We would like to work with you, as we're working with hundreds of other builders, dealers, contractors, manufacturers, and associations, to help you capitalize on it. We'll help you identify yourself with our program, give you the materials and support to promote home improvement in your local market, to build your business.

To learn more about our program, and how you can benefit from it, send in the coupon now.

The activities of the National Home lmprovement Council are supported by the tollowing organizations, among others:

Abitibi Corooration

Alcoa Building Products, Inc.

American Gas Association, Inc-

American Plywood Association

Andersen Corporation

Architectural Aluminum Manutaclurers Association

Better Homes & Gardens

Bird & Son, Inc.

Certain-teed Products Corp.

Electric Energy Association

The Flintkote Company

Formica Corporation

GAF Corporalion

General Electric Co.

Gaorgia-Pacific Corporation

Globe Industries

House Beautitul Magazine

House & Garden Magazine

IDS Credit Corporation

Johns-Manville Sales Corporation

Kaiser Aluminum & Chemical Sales, lncorporated

Lear Siegler, lnc.

Masohite Corporatlon

National Gypsum Company

Owens Corning Fiberglas Corp.

Panacon Corporation

Reader's Digest

Searsr Roebuck & Company

Stanadyne, Inc.

The Tappan Company

United States Gypsum Company

U.S. Plywood-Champion Papers, Inc.

Westinghouse El6ctric Corp.

Whirlpool Corporation

National Home lmprovemgnt Council, Inc., 1 l East 44th St., New York, N. Y. 10017

Please send me details on tho Natlonal Home lmprovement Council's program, ind on how it can help me in my business.

NAME

O rReRreD polE BUTLDERS, tNc. oFFER THErR cusroMERS THE ASSURANcE OF H]GHEST OUALITY WORKMANSHIP AND MATERIALS AT MODERATE COST.

O TREATED POLE BUILDERS, INC. HAS THE ABIL]TY TO DO A COMPLETE "TURNKEY" JOB, EVERYTHING...............FROM DESIGN TO COMPLETION.

NEXT TIME YOU PLAN TO EXPAND OR RELOCATE, CALL THE BEST

OUATITY

EFFICIEI{CY

ARE MORE THAN JUST WORDS AT TREATED POLE

Publleher A. D. BeU, Jr.

Ealitor Davld Cutler

Contrlbuting Editor Dwight Curran

Advertising Productlon Mgr.

Marsha CirculationKelleyMs. David Hamil

EI)ITORIAL OFFTCDS

WESTERN LUMBER & BUILDING

MATERIALS MERCHANT iS PUb- lished monthly at 673 So. Loke Ave., Pas&denC, Callf. 91101, Phone (213) 292-8628 or (213) 792-400E by Calitornia Lumber Merchant, Iilc. Second-class postage rates pald at Pasadena, Caut., and addltlonal offices. Advertising rates upon request.

ADVEIiTISING OFFICES

NORTHEN,N CAIIT'ORNIA IE PACIFIC NORTIIWEST

Jerry Holtz, 580 Market St., #400, San Francisco 94104. Phone (415) 392-3365.

SAN FR,ANCISCO BILIING OFFICE

2030 Union St., San Franclsco, Calif. 94123. Phone (415) 346-6000.

SOUTITERN CALIFOBNIA

Carl Yann. 1385 Westwood Blvd., Los Anseles, Calif. 90024. Phone (2t3t 471-7593

MOUNTAIN STATES

Frank L. Beckstead Asaociates, (Denver) 3505 Miller Court, Wheat Ridge, Colorado 80033. Phone (303) 42r-2652. NEW YOnX.

Billlncelea lS Flcke, Inc., 13? East 361h St.. New York. N.Y., 10016. Phone (272) 532-1632.

Subscriptions

Chdnso of AddrosB-Send subscrip- tion orders and address chan8es to Circulatlon Dept., Western Lumber & Buildlns Materlals Merchant, 573 So. Lake Ave., Pasadena, Callf. 91101. Include address label trom recent lssue il possible, plus new address and zip code.

Subscrlptlon Ratos-U.S., Canada, Mexico-and Latin America: $s-one vear: $8-two vears: $10-three lears. Overseas:-$6-one year; $9- fwo vears. Sinsle coDies 60c. Back copiel $1.00 wFen ariallable.

rlal Deal

Mountaln clation, Olympla, THE MERCHAIIT is an ind,epend,ent magaz'ine, for the lumber ond, build,ing rnaterials industrg in tha 13 Westere stetes, concentratirr,g on rnerchand,isi,ng, rlo,rlo,gernent and accurate, f actual news.

Theres more to lumber than a grade stamp.

Our distribution centers offer that something more. Service.

Friendly dependable service, backed by quality products. The products you need . when and where you need them the most.

We handle all the basic grades, sizes and species, plus millwork and mouldings, plywood and particleboardand a full range of specialty products.

So give us a call. We'llshow you why there's more to. lumber than a grade stamp.

"Now lef Me Moke This Perfectly Cleor . . ."

THE lumber price hearings held this past r' month in Portland and San Francisco by the Price Commission rnay have left as many questions unanswered as answeted, but the commission certainly came through loud and clear on one point, their intention to en{orce their regulations, and in court if necessary.

While there still are a number of knowledgeable people at all levels of the forest products industry who feel elimination of the controls would be in the best interests o{ industry and the cnnsumer, representatives of the Price Commission were firm in their determination to make the controls stick.

Both sessions were characterized by perplexed lumbermen trying to find answers to their questions that would direcdy bear upon their own situation. While it appears the education of the Price Commission members regarding the complexities of the forest products industry has been continuing, in too many cases there were market situations and potential problems that received shallow and insufficient answers simply because commission mehbers are not well enough grounded to fully appreciate all the factors involved. If nothing else, the meetings amply demonstrated the amazing differences that exist betweeri industries in this country.

The commission was able to offer clarification on some points such as justifying price increases, profit margin tests, reporting suspected violations and averaging wholesale markups. The problem with these verbal explanations is that they we,re given in large, crowded auditoriums and had the effect of pro ducing a number of interpretations later as to what was actually said. In some cases, such as averaging wholesale markups, the clarification in San t'rancisco of the clarification in Portland left some as confused as before. The c,ommission has promised, incidentally, to make available a question and answer booklet on the verbal interpretations in about three weeks.

In t}le course of their travels and hearings, we trust that the commission realized that the industry as a whole is sincere in seeking to comply with the regulations. Even the more tecalcitrant realize now the chance of the con. trols being lifted is remoto. at best. E-xcepting that small percentage that exists in any group: all levels of the industry have bent over backwards to meet regulations that have often lren unclear, contradictory and confusing.

Before the Price Commission gets too tough, we think they owe the industry a much better idea of what is required than what they have so far done.

,THE Dry Creek Lumber Co., Sacramento, Calif., feaI, tu."s a hillbillv theme and dramatic TV skits which saturate the air waves with pure corn. "Corn sells," succinctly states manager Bud Geiger.

You know he's right when you see the hordes of customers descend on their three stores, especially on the rveekends. The hillbilly theme pervades every aspect of the store, and obviously appeals to the do'it-yourself customers that Geiger states comprise most of his custo' mer base.

"You can never €to wrong by catering to the do-it' yourselfer,tt says Geiger. "Depression, recession, slow' downs in constructionl none of these affect the do'ityourselfer. He's always ready to build, remodel, or repair, and we're always ready to serve him."

Story aI s Glqnce

Converting cornpone to cash, this lumberman uses hillbilly theme to coax customers with lines like "nothing down, 5 years to pay"... all three yards were built "in the boonies."

Geiger is ready to go all-out to serve the home handyman, any time. This is proven by his willingness to pour over home-made houseplans, making suggestions and correcting mistakes made by the enthusiastic ama' teur. "For an investment of only $4,000 in lumber, the handyman can still build his own house," Geiger states, and he's willing to show that man how to buy and save so that the total spent on lumber can be only $4,000; a fact most construction men will not believe.

"When the store rvas built 8 years ago, it was really out in the boonies," Geiger admits, "but we felt that the city of Sacramento must expand, and thought that the logical place to expand was in the northeast area." He was right. Tracts surround him now as do shopping centers with competitive stores.

But competition is no problem {or the Dry Creek Iloys, simply because they carry more merchandise. "How many times is a guy going to go to a lumber vard and be told they don't carry a specific item? One or two times maybe, then he'll corne to us, because we've got it." A large inventory and a large variety are considered very important here.

The operation shown here, called Lumber Corral, is on Auburn Blvd. and occupies three acresl the store oovers 10,(n0 sq. ft. with 5,000 ft. devoted to sales.

Though the emphasis is on serving the do-it'yourselfer. Geiger does go after the businessman, too. "W'e have lots of business accounts, and this is mainly because we have established a reputation of having the items they want uhen they want them."

The Dry Creek Lumber Co. carries thousands of items; all kinds of lumber, plumbing and electrical supplies. 'I'hey do no pre-fab business.

There are l0 employees at the yard shown here. None o[ the employees is restricted to any certain job; they all do everything, from working out in the yard in the stacks, to selling on the floor. "We hire through ads. We look for experience and character qualities. We don't care a lig about education."

Suppliers are not requested to help with displays or advice of any kind. Geiger likes to go it alone, saying t'We tend to our own business."

Though Geiger seems nonchalant and easy'going' he's a man who believes in hard work, and Proves that it pays off. He often works 12 hours a dav. The store has also supported Little League teams for l0 years, both with money and physical support. Employees go to the games and root for their teams. to more and more California dealers and distributors. For year around supplies of dimension lumber and precision-trimmed studs, depend on 0&R. llemlock Studs from $/arrenton Lumber Co., Warrenton, 0regon

Some of the drawbacks of the business, Geiger feels, are the many controls and restraints imposed by the government. He particularly feels that price controls are a nuisance.

Besides just plain hard wt-rr.k, a huge inventor.y, and careful selection of employees, Geiger attributes the amazing success of this store to its flamboyant advertis. ing techniques. Ken Chestnut is the imaginative creator of the hillbilly commercials. A miniature train is often used in tfrese commercials. In each car, signs are carried in the windows, showing advertised specials. The train pulls up to the yard of the store, as if it were a real train on a spur, and the announcer. speaking in a hillbilly dialect (with hillbilly music in the background), m€n. tions the homespun hospitality awaiting the potential customer. "Ya'll come," he says, and they do.

Hemlock Dimension from Westport Lumber 00., Westport, 0regon specific jobs exist at Dry Creek Boys, ry man must be able work ,inside or out. gning is often done by rd, atmosphere and xlr arrangement ate sual. but effective. l{ow, over 5,000,000 feet of dimension lumber and studs monthly . manufactured especially for Souttern California construction needs.

Fast, regular ocean shipments by barge from Southern 0regon and tfte Columbia River direct to Southern California.

Art l{eth would appreciate an oppoilunitt t0 tell you how you and your customers will benefit from using dependable 0 & R dimension and studs. You can reach him by calling 872-1280 or 783.0544.

General Oftices: Portland, Oregon 97201