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Supplying

Home Improvement

(Lontinucd lrom Puge 57) reallv alrpreciatc is a clean store rvith the rner<'htrrrdise neatly displayed. If a rvoman picks up a can and it's covcred with dust. r-orr immt,diatell' have a sales obstacle to o\'{'l'com('. Housewil-es ,"pend a great deal of their time keeping their homes neat and clcan. Thev feel you should do the same {or vottr slore."

\lanr' ( ustomers make their trip to Plains Lumher a family affair, bringing alrng the kids. The yard makes provi-"ions {or this hl converting orre of tht, offices into a nrmpus room. complete with a tt'levision set. coloring books. comics antl cvt'n several rr,r'king horses for the toddlers. As the kids plar-. a Plainsman can give his pitch to mom and dad. rrnintcrrupted hy the 'r.oungsters.

Recognizing the important.t' that the lroman s r,pinion plals in making a buying decision. the Plains salc-. staff ahvav,* ask mell lo l,rirrg ak,rr9 tlrtir rt ires t,r sil in orr the dis< rrssion of an1. major purchase. e\-en such things as power tools. The store holds nightll- demonstrations on the Dewalt Home l)on,er (lentt'r. a complete woodrvorking rig for home handt.man manufactured hr. lilrrck & Deckcr.

''II we sell tht, husband one of these sarvs. then he has to go home and sell his u'ifc on it. \1-e like to irave them both here

Ior the demonstration. sint.e Ie thirrk lrr''re better salesmen than most hrrslrtrnds." muses Eycr.

"W'e feel that the homt imulo\'(,rncnt markel, a nalurul f,rr thr' r'"t.ril ,i,'rrl,,r. l ilI

Tree Plqntotions 5how Profit

It was a good vear for California Christmas tree growers" too. They llut f 10.000 trces on the market. t:omparetl rvith 76.000 the year before. at a rtturn of more than $500.000.

And still there's plt'nt1 of room left in the business. sa1's [-nilt'r',*ity of California Ertension l'orester Ed E. Gilden.

Nlost of the Christmas tret.s grown in California ('ame f rom managed natural stands of trt'es in timber growing areas. The California total was a record 960.000 trecs, llut still amounted to only 23 percent of the J.160.000 trees on the market. Out of that total. 52 percent came from Vaslrirrgttrrr.

WAlL PANEtll{G is stored on its side in these racks to prevent scratching. Panels are easily accessible, as Don Eyer demonstrates here. continue to rise in the t-ears to come. At any rate, we'rt: in the lrusiness to stal'," t'oncluded Eycr.

Eyer's {orecast i-s lrorne out }rv the results o{ a rt'ct.nt sur\,ey -"ponsort'<l lrl the Na. tional Home Improvt'mt.nt Council. Of the 1.000 families questiont.tl. nearll- 70 percent said they had plans for impror"ing their homes within the next yt,ar. This represents a lrugt' markt.t for the lumber dealer. a lrusinessmarr now lreing chalIt'nged h1- the complexities of a fast. changirrg intlustrv.

A new development. Gilden noted. has bcen the rise of populous Los Angele-" ( ounty as a Christma-s tree erower. It had 1 0 percent of the state's plantation tree produt'tion. Santa Cruz county was still at the top. r,t'ith 25 percent, and another Bav area countv. Sonoma, grt'w 22 percent.

California Christmas tree farmers. and the families that chose antl cut their trees. showed a preference this past season for Nlonterey pinr:. which caught 40 percent of the market. Douglas fir madt, up 38 percerlt of the plantation tret,s sold. Imports from other states. u'hich made up three-fourths of thc trees on the market. were 67 perct'nt f)ouelas fir.