MARYSVILLE — Rick Haverty wishes he’d discovered Dunn Lumber sooner.
“I came by here to finish a project a while ago,” Haverty said to Dunn Lumber employee Chad Burke on March 18, as he browsed through the store’s stock while he still could. “You guys sold me on your service. You checked the boards that I bought before I left with them. At other stores, you just get what they give you. I had to buy more at those stores just to make sure I’d have enough.”
After March 31, Haverty will no longer be able to continue his now-habitual visits to Dunn Lumber, because by then, the staff and inventory of its Marysville branch are set to be relocated to Mill Creek, marking the end of the store’s 44 years on Grove Street in Marysville.
“We’ll be sharing that property with Parker Lumber,” said Mike Dunn, president of Dunn Lumber. “Frankly, we’ve been losing money here the last few years. The total level of business in this area hasn’t been enough to sustain us, and the economy has only exacerbated that.”
Three years ago, the Dunn Lumber store on Grove Street acquired 80,000 square feet of retail space on State Avenue adjacent to its pre-existing property, to try and generate greater visibility and through traffic. Mike Dunn has deemed this move “a last-ditch effort” in retrospect.
Dunn expects that a majority of the eight remaining employees at the Marysville store will make the move to Mill Creek, although he acknowledged that some haven’t made up their minds yet. Dan Luxmore has managed the Dunn Lumber store in Marysville for 13 years, and will be filling a similar position at Mill Creek.
“We’ve built up a lot of good relationships with contractors and other customers here over the years,” said Luxmore, who lives in Everett. “We’ve got guys who have been shopping here for 25 and 30 years, and some of them stop by every morning. We plan to build similar relationships in Mill Creek, of course, but still, we’ll be starting over. I hope we can stay in touch with some of those folks.”
Like Dunn, Luxmore expressed regret at leaving Marysville, but he believes the Mill Creek property is well-located and will attract more business. In the meantime, Luxmore encouraged customers to take advantage of the store’s 15 percent discounts on all its merchandise.
“The summer’s coming up, so it’ll be decking season soon,” Luxmore said. “We’ve got fencing, stains and wood preservatives. You wouldn’t put them on just yet, but there’s no reason why you can’t buy them early, especially since 15 percent off all decking is the best deal you’ll get all summer long.”
“I’m gonna miss ’em,” Haverty said of Dunn Lumber and its staff. “I like supporting local businesses anyway. They keep communities alive.”
Dunn Lumber is currently located at 1410 Grove St. in Marysville and is open Mondays through Fridays from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, call 360-659-6253.
