Retailer stresses full line of hardwoods

T HE people at Campbell Lumber

I Co., the oldest continuing lumberyard in the San Jose, Ca. area, have stocked a full line of hardwoods for more than 20 years. So when they say that they have found a better way to merchandise hardwoods, other retailers take notice.

Campbell's "better way" involves buying hardwoods surfaced on four sides to dimensional sizes direct from their distributor. Previously, Campbell had bought S2S stock in random widths and relied upon their own complete millwork facilities.

"I wish that we would have gone to S4S hardwoods a long time ago," remarks yard and mill superintendent George Sisemore. "lt saves a helluva lot of time." And most importantly, he added, it has increased Campbell's volume in hardwoods.

"Our distributor (MacBeath Hardwood) can surface hardwoods less expensively and better than we," agreed Emerson "Doc" Arends, president of Campbell Lumber. "And it saves us time in dealing with customers because they are already accustomeC to buying softwoods in dimensional sizes."

Campbell also saves time in dealing with customers because they sell hardwoods according to an S4S price list. That way Campbell's countermen don't have to calculate board footage and a waste factor when they quote prices to customers.

Campbell Lumber orders l" and2" rough hardwoods in 500' lots and requests planing on a straitoplane and jointing on a straightline rip saw. Replacing both a powerfeed facing planer and a single surface planer, the Straitoplane reduces boards to uniform thick- nesses while removing warp or wind at rates of 60 feet per minute. The straight-line rip saw joints and straightens boards at rates up to 245 feet per minute.

When the hardwood stock arrives in Campbell's yard it is ready to stack in A-frame racks besides bins of dimensional softwood clears. Nearly 6,000 board feet ofhardwood take 80 sq. ft. of racks in a covered area that protects both the hardwoods and softwood clears from the dust raised by forklifts and trucks. A full line of birch and Philippine mahogany mouldings fill 60 sq. ft. of racks nearby.

Story at a Glance

Close cooperation with a key supplier leads to use of S4S hardwoods which saves time at several steps in retailer's operation . hardwoods bring in new customers, emphasize firm's image as a full service yard.

Campbell stocks birch, ash, Philippine mahogany, oak and walnut lumber in widths from 2" to 12". and lengths from 4' to l6'. One inch hardwoods sells most quickly at Campbell, with mahogany and astr leading the way:. 2" oak also moves well.

The thick oak sells for concrete work and truck stakes, and Campbell also sells to food processing plants in the San Jose area, according to Sisemore.

Doc Arends estimates that the firm sells half of its hardwoods to contractors and half to do-it-yourselvers. Contractors use it for remodeling jobs, cabinet work, and even in their own homes I while individuals use hardwoods for shelving, furniture, stereos and decorations.

General manager Bill Larson said too that a stock of hardwood lumber boosts sales in hardwood plywoods, genuine hardwood panels and the more expensive prefinished panels.

Larson added that hardwoods bring new customers into the yard. "When someone phones asking about hardwoods," he explained, "we urge them to come see our selection and in the process they become acquainted with our entire operation."

Doc Arends said that despite the waste involved in cutting hardwoods to length for customers, hardwoods are an excellent profit item. He believes rhat hardwoods also help Campbell's image as a "full seryice" lumber yard. "We have always emphasized the custom home builder. and hardwoods fit inwith our otherhigh quality productsi he noted.

Hardwoods have fit into the long history of Campbell Lumber since its beginning in 1873. In the early decades, Campbell provided fruit growers and farmers in the Santa Clara Valley with redwood from the nearby Santa Cruz mountains and with Eastern oak. When building boomed in the valley after World War II, they operated two yards. They also operated a large fencing yard across the street from the present location.

In 1954 Campbell first stocked hardwood for custom builders. At first they stocked only 500' of selected species which were displayed in a 3' by 8' rack inside the store.

Located at 743 Camden Ave. near Winchester Blvd. and the San Tomas Expressway, Campbell Lumber is situated near the most affluent neighborhoods of the Santa Clara Valley. But "Doc" Arends does not believe that affluent customers are responsible for his yard's success in dealing with hardwoods. "Actually most sales in hardwoods go to less affluent people who hope to save part of the cost of fine

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