Remodeled Fqirfox Lumber Co. Puts ftlerchondise Out in Open, Prices lt, ond They Go Buy-Buy

The Fairfax (California) Lumber Co. celebrated the completion of an extensive remodeling and expansion of its showroom with a two-day grand opening this Spring. Although formerly operating a sizable stoie which was inItalled during the Fall ot 1954 (CLM l2/l/54), Owner Frank Boileau experienced such success with thai installation that it soon became apparent he was going to need additional room to properly service his increasei walk-in trade.

The new showroom more than doubles the area of the old store and is a first-class job in every respect. Covering some 4,000 sq. ft., the showroom boasts -two checkout stands-one for cash sales, the other for credit and lumber sales-eleven brand-new Daley center islands. some 85 feet of wall display fixtures, and the most complete. pricetag_ged store inventory of any lumberyard in tlie area.

But regardless of the new retail slore, Fairfax Lumber is still very much of a lumberyard, too. Not just a do-it- yourself "pavilion," Fairfax carries some 2,000,000 b.f. of inventory qt all times and operates a full-fledged planing mill, two lift trucks, two carriers and seven delivery trucks to efficiently serve its custom homebuilder clientle.

"The custom builder and the retail consumer, that's what we're gearing our operation to," Dealer Frank told CLM back in November 1954 when his store was undergoing its first remodeling.

"Our constant aim is to keep pace with the times and to offer the best possible service to the retail customer and the custom builder who are the backbone of our business," he said then . . and we repeat that statement here because. almost five years later, Dealer Boileau has again e*panded his operation for the very same reason-to bettei serve the retail customer and custom home builder.

Of course, this dealer has come up with several new innovations in his new store not incorporated before. The sep- aration of cash sales from credit sales by use of separale r,*n*

Photor qt Top of pqe rhow Deoler Frok Boileo (l€fll nd Ed Young of lhe Gcehime Corp. weking (they iqt rtopped to "pue" o monenl) in the hond-tool dept. The Gorehime fm engine.ed thG new yord loy@|.

Photo ot top right obove rho*r the buyer oppecl of sllrqclive rew .fore-fr*f. Full-length rhow windowc qnd rat overhog provide ideol oldoor disploy afeo dering smmer mdlhr, A&ninirtrotive office: ore o recqd fioor. fhe glorsed-in portim hovred exitting showroom, pqt of new oddifi@ to leff.

Photor ol Left show (top r<enel rhe bi9 Foirfc Lmber plonl o il.2r/2-q.e lite wifh plmry of ofittreel porking qr@. Nol iurt o doit-yortelf pwilion, o lorge yord, imprersive lmb€r od building molerioli inventory od millwork plor rosd oul lhe oper.dion. fhc new dry shed (lower left :cenel hor iust been conpleted to in<re6e the tlordge oreo,

-the (lerk (ould be osking the poir of Open-House guesls in the lop photo ot the right, who ore slonding in gdrt of the old showroom oreo {porlion of old woll behind the (ouple) where Dcoler Boileou hor ploced his 98c Grob-bog isldnd ol the point of moximum lrofiic

And if you will ioin the lumberyord (uslomers on their grond lour of lhe new fo<ilities, you would see (slorling with the top !efi pholo, below, ond looking from lefl lo righl in the pholos) Deoler Fronk Boileou ond Mrs. Lloyd (Andreol Morgon <hecking the Registrotion book. 5uccess of the Ooening is ollested in lhe 2,50O guesls who "signed-in" during the celebrotion. Then {top rente., below) you wovld see the hond-lool ond gcrden equipment disploy whi(h runs full length of north woll. In oll, some 85 feet of Doley woll fixiures were instolled for disploys such os this. Although eoch piccc of inventory i3 individuolly oriced for speedy (he.koul5, il is olso bin-tqgged for merchondise (onlrol. Nexl {top.ighi) ore the plumbing, pqinl. eleclricol deporlments ond lumber ond (redil (heckods in lhe new showroom se(lion {nole the ceiling sprinklers which protert entire 2-slory b!ilding housing showroom, ofilces ond millwork plont.l clreckout c()tllrters i5 I g()()(l ()rl('(ill;rtltlitiort. llt'ltlso,rlrt'r' ;It('s:r \-arcl ()1ic('\\'1r('r('ltttttlr<'t-rtrrrl lrtriltlirrg- ltr:tt('ri:Lls:Ire l)icked u1) aftcr tlrt'orrlt'r lurs lrtt'tt \\'ritt('ll lll) ilr st(ire).

Ieft Center scene shows new se(tion ol slore (foregroundl doubling size of old showroofi oreo in bockground; qll new fixtures were instolled in both the new ond exisling seclions lo promote (onlinuily of the siore iroffic tlow. Center s(eno is the Lumber Dept. 6nd Credit office for oll chorge soles; cosh soles orc hondled ot onother <heckoul counler necr froni enlron(e. Right Cenler shol shows complete plumbing dnd electricol deporlfrenls which occupy Mo islqnd disploys; ll new Do'ey islond fixiures were instolled throughoul lhe slcre.

Lorer Ieft pholo shows the disoloy ol doorknobs, locks, drower ond (obinel pulls ond relqleJ fini5h hcrdwore. Lower Cenler scene finds dnothcr Open-House visilor exomining the enlronce hordwore, moilboxes, house numbers, iron grilles, el(.; Deoler Boiledu en(ouroges the women shoppers. Lower Right end of the tour brings us bo(k io point where existing showroom meets lhe new store exlension ond the deoler disoloys his point speciols, loble legs, elc.

Incliviclrr:rl lrrict' taggirrg is ;tttoLlrt'r gootl rtttt'. [)ea'ler lloilearr lrrrs su'itcht'rl irorn birr t:rgging 1, lrricittg e:rcIl I)icce ()f rrler('lr;ulrlist' to lrotlr 51;rg1-11 ul) tll( sho1r1rirre l)r()ces: llll(l srlr()()th ()ut tlr(' clrt'cliorrt ()l)cr:tti()il. I Ic cotttittrtcs to bitl-t;tg ;rs \\'ell, hout'r't'r. for tlrt' l)t1rl)()s(' oI tttercltlittclise cotttrol.

-\11 irrvcrrtor\ i5 ()ut irr tlr<' ()l)('n; slnitller itelrls. sr.l(:lr ;IS rlr:trvt'r lrulls. rt:ril:. \crc\\'s, ('tc., rrrr tlisplaverl itr trlttrs' I)irr('nt c()rttiriil('rs (^;r('h l)('irrilrg a l)ric(] tag. ()pcr:ttiorr oI tht'st()r('caul bt eithcr self-servicc ()r s('lllist'lI st'rvit'c - rlt'1rt'rrrlirg ul)()11 tlre custollrer: 'l'lrr "rrrggcrl irrrlivirlrr:Llist" t-v1re calr casil,\'linrl n'h:r1 1rt' lreerls, [)rice illclu(lerl, trec:Luse evervthing is (1el):Irtt]rcrlt:rlizc<1, irorn )cre\\' rlrivers to lrlrrrnbirrg gasli('ts. 'l-ht' "brou scr" u,ill tirrrl lrlerrt-r- oi "bron sing nratcrial" irr tlrc st()re 5 n('\\ h()nl(' itttlrr,,r t'tttt'ttt iltl(l irlt':i rltlr:trtltttllt. -\11(l tlrc "c'rtirrs('(1" slr()l)l)('r- ('itll g('t :tr-:lig-lrt('rlt(i ottt irr clottblt' (ltricli tinlt b,r'nrt'rcl-i ;t>l<irtg ()tl('()i tltt iottr felltiu': beltirr<l either,rI tlrt' rc\\' c]r('cli()tlt ('()tlttt('t's. lllls ENTERPiISINO nEtAl'l YARD puher c good gimick, rhe old reli6le, rrcdmcked "Bill Oi-" prmofim lirc. Hodrdm, yqd-ldmrifoing rign rhm or |.ft'wrly plusi 9l'Weekly Speciol"-<d notlGa the rleycr "rmem" belory ir: "Bill Ding iwitej ie PAIK FREE INsIDE,"

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I)rrrirrg Scptrtnbtr l()-15, lri. rlreltttt of r,* ttittg" hi. t,n'tt r':rrrl rrr;rterirrliztrl. It n;rs rluring this rrrorrlh tlr:rt lrc bcclLrrrr l,r-(.:i,l(.nt ,,i li;Lili:L-r, Lrtrrrber (io., lrrrrclr:tsirrg tlre btt.itrt:.. irorrr lircrl 'l'. Ilrnvkert. Since tlr:Lt tirrrt'. Iloilt':rtr h:ts "l<t'1rt 1r:rce u itlr thc titlers," alrd then s()rlle, t() tlrc poirrt rvht'rt' to <l:rr" lrr' ()l)cratcs otte of tltt' largt'.1. rlir rrsiljt'<l olrt'r:Ltiott:; oI its tl pe irr \larin c{)n1rt_\-.

-The pholo-below, wilh,mther "Blll Ding" prmtlo (ttir oc m "Hme Improysst Heodquqrteo"l, rhow Gemrql lloog* NorS Bundrchuh (frstt wifh the yaa,! solermoogq, Pwl FqmaFq bright o brc(s of boyr o y@,ll nnd in Soutftem Colifmiq retsil lur$e. 6d building mole.ialr

Norbert Bundschuh, general manager of the Myrtle Avenue Lumber Company, Monrovia, California, has completed a remodeling of the sales-display area of the yard's mbdern retail store which more than doubles the space formerly occupied by the various departments of the self-service yard. In the expansion program for customer service, a new cut-off mill was added to offer San Gabriel Valley patrons a free "cut-to-size" panel and plywood on-the-spot-deal at the point-of-sale.

More than I,200 interested homeowners in the San Gabriel Valley area visited the Open llouse celebrating the added shopping space, and Manager Bundschuh reports a first-quarter increase of better than 2O% in sales of all departments.

"The potential buyers also stay longer and they browse around in our self-service sections, which, of course, improves the volume of sales," said Dealer Bundschuh.

"Our Southwest Plywood display, which also features Deft wood finish, has increased paneling and plywood sales beyond our greatest expectations, and selections are made of materials to fit any decor, whether new construction or remodeling," he continued. "Sales have sky-rocketed," he declared.

Weekly specials, which are advertised via direct mail and local newspapers, also play an important part in volume sales. And the Myrtle Avenue Lumber personnel will assist the customer in full financing, whether the project is large or small.

This progressive retail lumber firm was established 14 years ago and, through aggressive merchandising under the guidance of Norb Bundschuh, has become one of the