ALL ALONE. . . AND tIKE IT!

We're independent! And iust like Gorbo we like to be olone. We're peoked qbout ony monufoclurer who lries io force us fo push his porticulor brond. Why should the customer be the goot? Being independent ollows us fo give eoch of our customers o freedom of choice in buying to suit his individuol needs. Our independence is our customers' ossuronce of quolity. Noturolly, ofler 38 yeors of deoling with the yords ond fobricotors of Soulhern Colifornio, we've developed top suppliers, good mill sources ond o lot of friends . . . ond we're not forgetting oboui them. Bul we've olso developed speciolized experience which tells us which moteriol is besl for o porliculor iob. Thot's qn osset you con count on your cost sheets.

Terty Mullin, Inc., Buys Yord of Geo. Hqmmond & Sons, Nodhridge

George }lammond & Sons, the well-known and liked retail lumber firm in Northridge, Calif., went out of the picture June 1 when George Hammond sold portions of the yard to Terry Mullin, Inc., Tarzana, Calif., and retired from the industry.

The Hammond & Sons retail operation was so recently spotlighted in The Merchant (CLM, Page 8, 5/l/56) that little more need be said of its successful recent history in the San Fernando Valley following its establishment 51 years ago in Idaho. George Hammond told us last week that he is "going fishing," and does plan to rest and vaca- tion from the industry he has served many years. He had just been elected a director of the Southern California Retail Lumber Association at the April convention and has-with regret, he said-sent in his resignation from that office this month. His sons, Carroll E. and Charles B. Hammond, will maintain an office at the yard to handle the Hammond investments and retail income, and Carroll is also already at work for the new owners as an outside salesman. Hammond & Sons had recently hired three former Patten-Blinn employes-A. W. Larson, Pat Knowles and Al Rech-when P-B closed its nearby Reseda yard.

Young Terry Mullin of the Tarzana Lumber Company told The Merchant that the firm of Terry Mullin, fnc.,

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