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Pocific Gosst Lumber Co. Remodels Sqn Luis Obispo Yqrd

Pacific Coast Lumber Company, grand old veteran of more than 80 years of retailing lumber in the San Luis Obispo-Santa Barbara County region, recently expanded its San Luis Obispo facilities in another step to further diversify and prepare itself for additional growth and development in the area. The expansion, primarily aimed at increasing its high-profit, shoulder-trade volume, was marked by a three-day grand opening complete with $1,00O in door prizes and in-person entertainment supplied by Don Strassburg at his organ.

Mark that latter point-it's important. Entertainment-or at least piped-in music-can play a big part in any type of open house celebration. A public address system is also another must, Pacific Coast Lumber Manager Bill Oberholser noted.

Pacific Coast Lumber's nerv Z,ZN-sq. ft. San Luis Obispo showroom is constructed almost entirely of wood and is adjacent to the yard's sales office. The building has a natural wood exterior finish and is completely glassed-in on both street and parking-lqt sides. Store layout employs a central checkout counter and a separate contractor's sales office.

Showroom interior does not dominate attention; plywood paneling adds warmth to the room and shows off displays to best advantage. Center islands are all metal and moveable, and of minimum height to afford a clear floor view of the entire store. Full-length windows along two sides of the store and modern interior lighting provide excellent illumination. Wide aisles provide good traffic flow and impulse items are displayed where they'll do the most good-next to the central checkout counter.

The showroom was designed by Manager Oberholser, his assistant, B. J. Fitzgerald, and J. C. Huston of Santa Barbara, general manager of Pacific Coast Lumber Co.

Pacific Coast Lumber Co. operates yards at Santa Maria and Santa Barbara as well as the San Luis yard. The company's present yard locations in San Luis Obispo and Santa Maria were acquired with the purchase of the S. P. Milling Company on February 9, 1954. llowever, Pacific Coast Lumber Company has been active in the tri-counties region since the 1870's when, as General Manager Huston recently noted, "Lumber and building materials were sorely in need in the area and the only means of transport lr'as by coastu'ise vessels."

Huston further reminisced about lumber schooner "deliveries": "Thev used to anchor off Point Sal in the 1870s and throw tireir lumber cargo overboard to float it ashore. It was then loaded into wagons and hauled into the back country. There were sometimes as many as 3O0 wagons and teams lined up on a one-way trail waiting for materials.

"A railroad u'as clearly needed," Huston continued, "and in 1873 it follou'ed that the San Luis Obispo Railroad Co. was established. First construction was on a line 10 miles long from Port Harford (Avila), but due to a shortage_ of money it proceeded slowly and did not actually Leach_San Luis -Obiipo until 1876. The townspeople of San Luls Obispo sponsored a big excursion to Avila on August 23, 1876, to celebrate completion of the road. The road was extended to Arroyo Grande in 1881, and to Santa Maria (then knorvn as Central City) and Los Alamos the following year. Incidentally, the wide streets in Central City were designed so that ranchers hauling grain and beans to the railroad (Continued on Page 65)

TOP LEFI PHOTO; Pocific Coast's new Sqn luis Obispo thowroom ot 424 Sanio Barboro 5t,

CENTER: Wide oirlcs ond low islqnds do owoy wilh cluttcred qpp.ordnce; notc pockcged noil disploy in foreground

TOP RIGHT: Portion of big Porking lot in forcground. Nolo cxton3ive u3a of gloss, nclurol wood finish extcrior ond :lorc entrqnces both from slreel side ond porking lot

LOWER lEFf : All inventory is deportmenfclized. Here hsnd lools ore otfroctively disployed on 7-fool woll shelving with lighred conopy; oll inventory is bin-toggcd

IOWER RIGHT: lslond disployr ore oll metol ond moveoble, All merchondire is dirploycd unpockogcd wherever por:ible