Hardware Retailing The Industry's Source for Insights and Information
When customers walk through the doors of Ganahl Lumber in Anaheim, California, they are immediately taken back to the earliest days of the family-owned business, which is still a thriving enterprise.
To encourage customers to learn about the history, the entrance of the business features a wall of photos from the company’s past.
Read on to learn about the business, which began in 1884, and how it continues to thrive more than 130 years since it opened. Then, be sure to check out the photo gallery below to take a tour for yourself.
Company History at the Forefront
The Anaheim store’s entrance displays an image of employees from Ganahl Lumber in 1910 at a lumber pier on the Pacific Ocean. A sign describes the scene pictured, explaining that lumber had traveled by schooner from the Pacific Northwest and then was reloaded onto train cars on shore.
Also at the store entrance, several pictures and newspaper clippings hang on the wall with descriptions. The photos visually represent major milestones in the company’s history and tell the story of Ganahl Lumber’s longevity.
In addition to the historical images, the store displays the old Ganahl cash register. The cash register was made in 1902 and workers used it for many years in one of the old Ganahl Lumber stores.
Presentation is Key
Ganahl Lumber has a fascinating past, but it also attracts customers with a strong business now.
For example, the store uses eye-catching merchandising and displays. Instead of stocking a basic endcap featuring sealant, the Ganahl team made a creative display using product information, as well as an umbrella to remind customers that the product will keep rain out.
The business also has an expansive window and door category. A building within the store has several different doors on it, giving customers a chance to see and touch products before making purchase decisions.
Outside the store, Ganahl Lumber grabs attention with an old street sign. Although new rules don’t allow signs along the road, the sign remains because it existed before the regulations. People driving down the street can see the sign and read its fun quotes.
Heavy on the Lumber Side
Ganahl Lumber’s store carries many products, but the business is far larger than its retail outlet. The lumberyard offers custom milling services and sells hardwoods, plywoods and other building materials in big quantities.
Since the operation processes large amounts of lumber each week, the business has a section of railroad track on site for massive deliveries to the business.
View a Ganahl Lumber photo gallery below:
