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Whether your job is as ornate as the famed Carson Mansion in Eureka, Ca., or as plain as a dog house, we have the experience and facilities to provide you with the unusual and uncommon in lumber, moulding and millwork items, as well as the ordinary, in any Quantity you need. If we don't have it, we can make it.

Just ask. A In Redwood, Union Forest Products has S4S and pattern lumber, architectural patterns; mouldings, mixed loads and units available LTL, T&T and rail. A Also please inq[uire on clear Douglas Fir and Hardrvoods.

Hardwood Franchise

(Continued from page 14) would have to buy a truckload of the same species to get a discount.

"Most of our money is tied up in inventory," says Lomax who adds that they have little overhead because the store is owner financed and free from bank loan finance charges.

Although selling mostly oak, like everyone else, Lomax and Brown don't hesitate to show customers woods they might not be familiar with like koa, mesua, cocobolo or zebra.

Offering over 50 species of wood at present, ranging from the standard domestic to the rare exotics, they hope some day to have the warehouse stocked with 200 species. This variety of wood has paid off. Whenever a new shipment comes in, Brown calls a list of customers who will come to browse for hours at a time. Then they buy.

While many dealers shy away from the exotic woods because of the big investment and slim profit margin, Brown wants this type of wood available to his customers because it is so appealing.

The owners'goals for the shop are to continue to build their inventory, expand the wholesale business, but not phase out retailing, start educational programs with shop instructors, begin to carry hand and power tools for fine woodworking and possibly open other stores in the Southern California area.

Brown explains, "There's a group I call the therapy group, people who have stressful jobs and want to do things with their hands. Woodworking is relaxing and creative-it gives them a sense of accomplishment." For this reason, the store will continue to cater to the retail customer. In the future they hope to provide plans for projects in addition to materials and tools.

"There's a new generation of d-iyers and people who are getting sick of plastics," Lomax comments on the future of hardwood. "Only our imagination is going to limit us-not the market."