Dateline: March 17, 2005

J&W Lumber expands hours to serve more

By Roger Estlack, Clarendon Enterprise

A knowledgeable staff and a hometown atmosphere will continue to be the hallmarks of J&W Lumber as the business faces new competition in Clarendon.

Proprietor Earl Hartman is keeping a positive attitude and says that a new hardware store coming to town might make his own establishment better.

“We’re still optimistic,” Hartman said, noting that he hasn’t experienced a significant drop in business yet. “It will force us to look at the way we do things and maybe do them differently.”

Already J&W has expanded its hours and is now open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday, a move that customers seem to find agreeable.

“It’s catching on, and the customers like the new hours,” Hartman said. “They can worry about their Saturday projects and still have time to go to their kids’ ball games and stuff.”

J&W also is providing a new computerized color matching system that allows customers to get custom paints that match almost anything. It’s a system that Hartman says he hopes more people will utilize as the weather gets warmer and thoughts turn to painting and home improvement.

Hartman plans to make a few improvements himself, starting with the removal of a few lumber bins near the business’ east entrance on East US 287 in order to give more visibility for cars getting on or off the highway. After that, he says he’ll turn his attention to the exterior siding of his own building and find a way to dress it up.

But, in addition to cosmetic changes and extended hours, J&W Lumber’s service is what will keep it set apart from its competitors.