Yesterday I fell through the ice at Great Pond. For all of you that do not know Great Pond, it is, when the conditions are right, the most magical place on the planet, especially if you like ice skating. I was on the ice with my wife and friend Lisa. We had reached the other side of the pond when we started to hear the ice crack with the shifting of our weight. Lisa headed away from [...]
2020 was a dark year for so many reasons but, for me, there was one person, above all others, that gave me hope. And I don't use the word "hope" lightly. At one point I had brought my son to the ER 4 times in 5 days. I contacted his primary care provider on the weekend but the on-call nurse never got back to me after repeated attempts. Then on Monday I finally got through to [...]
CORRECTION. We will be closed on Friday so there are actually only 4 days remaining to take advantage of 30% off all in-stock lumber. My personal favorites include the cedar shiplap and the 2 inch thick premium pine. Check out our site for inventory and current pricing. Hope to see y'all soon. Michael Friedland, and the entire Lumbery crew LUMBERY mainewood@lumbery-me.com Promoting Sustainability - Supporting Local Communities LUMBERY 287 Ocean House Road Cape Elizabeth, Maine 04107 207-835-7023www.lumbery-me.com
HUZZAH! Here is our attempt at a Cheesy promotional video! This video might be funny but this sale is no joke. 30% off all in stock lumber is a crazy good deal. Now is the perfect time to consider your cedar sauna or plan ahead for your cedar or PT deck. We have incredible, thick, premium pine for exposed shelving and gorgeous counters. Not to mention dimensional lumber and many items you cannot find anywhere else. Check [...]
We all have a dream, right? And we put in the hard work. But it's rare that you get to see your progress and the results. I put this video together for myself and my colleagues but it is too good not to share. Follow along as we turn this old Cumberland Farms into a beautiful new store. Yvonne Chouinard would be so proud. Stop in soon to buy some last minute stocking stuffers (gift cards, [...]
What a fantastic gift for anyone!!! A one year membership to a tool lending library! $50,000 worth of tools that are now yours. Go on. Go online, pick out your tool, and Huzzah! We will have it all ready for you. Ladders, tile saw, compressors, framing, siding, roofing, trim guns, staging, toilet augers, power tools, hand tools... Check out our online inventory- We have some more tools to upload and we are adding more everyday. Now until Christmas we are offering 10% [...]
Channel 6 News Story They say don't let a little fame go to your head. Well it's too late. Our agent, as we speak, is trying to sell our manuscript titled "Captain Plant-it" to some major players. I mean you cannot spell Hollywood without WOOD!. We are destined for glamour. I presume my role would be played by Michael B. Jordan(the actor) and Ryan's role would be played by William Shatner. But seriously-We are supremely flattered [...]
Local Sourcing-Lumbery Style!! Fact- We love stories. Did you know that the cordless chainsaw at Butler's Cedar Shakes doubles as a moose slicer? Did you read about the fire at Yoder's sawmill in Corinna last week? Probably not. Why would you? In fact I didn't learn about it till I spoke with Jim yesterday. Connections are created with objects and people when we learn more about them. When I came up with the concept of the Lumbery I presumed [...]
On Friday I sent out a mailer proclaiming 30% off all in-stock lumber. My distributor called me 5 minutes later asking..."Do you know what you're doing?" This is because lumber is traded on the commodities market and there has been a perfect storm brewing. Demand is high and inventory is low due to the pandemic causing prices to surge. He said he had never seen anything like this. The price I paid for my lumber 1 month ago [...]
It's ironic. We spend months and months of research and interviews to determine if there is actually a need for locally sourced lumber in Maine. Then we spend months coming up with a proper business model...but as it turns out there is actually a greater need to have a proper transport container for your suds. Go figure. We cannot keep these caddies on the shelf. Yesterday I actually had to meet our dealer in a Denny's parking lot in Auburn [...]
Our store has been open for just about 3 weeks and the reaction that we are receiving from the local community, carpenters, homeowners, contractors and the press has been unbelievable. Here are some of the quotes: "You just saved me a trip to Home Depot. Thank you thank you thank you." "How didn't I know this place existed? Are you a chain?" "I would have been happy for anyone to move into this abandoned building but [...]
Did you know that the Lumbery also has great holiday gifts including, beer caddies, wooden puzzles, games, ornaments, hats and T's? We are trying to make it easier than ever to shop local. Gift cards are also available. Note: We sold out of our beer caddies and will be receiving more on Wednesday. Make sure to reserve yours today. These items and more will soon be available in our online shop but for now it's best to [...]
Lately I've been thinking about the Earth, also known as planEt tHree If you happen to remove the letters "E" and "H" you are all-too- conveniently left with the words "Plant Tree". Eddie Van Halen, who sadly passed away this year, all-too- coincidentally has the initials "E.H" And Eddie Van Halen is known for his famous quote "I'm just a guitarist in a kick-ass rock and roll band. What more could I ask for?" Then if you unscramble the bold letters above AOCLDWOLO You get "Local Wood" It is obvious the universe [...]
I read the news today Oh Boy About a lucky store that made the gradeAnd though the news was rather glad Well, I just had to laugh I saw the photograph -Kind of the Beatles...and Kind of not the Beatles The Lumbery, In Cape Elizabeth, leverages the local sourcing movement by offering Maine lumber. MaineBiz Article-Click Here I am sincerely happy the word is getting out there. If we do well, the State of Maine does [...]
Yes, I know I am totally geeking out by quoting Treebeard from the Lord of the Rings but it is so darn good. Has there ever been a better character? But how often in real life can words spoken by an Ent resonate? I'm gonna say not often...but this week, the Lumbery and our fantastic Tree sure come close. Come check things out for yourselves. And don't forget to spread the word. Hope to see you [...]
Some folks have a fear of failing. We have a fear of not trying. They say nothing ventured, nothing gained. Well let's officially begin this here venture...OK. On your marks, get set, GROW. As of today we are officially OPEN!! Please spread the word, We mean it. Spread the word. Tell your friends. Tell everyone you know. Mention us on Facebook. Or maybe write a letter to your Grammy. We'll provide the stamp. We'll even write [...]
Brick and Mortar In this day and age anyone can start a new business. You purchase a web address, list some item or service and there you go. It certainly is a magical time to be alive where dreams and visions can become a reality without the investment of a physical location and all that goes along. Which is why there is something special about a good old fashioned brick and mortar location. And I am [...]
November 6, 2020 Dear Diary, Today my right eye started twitching from stress. This has never happened before. I was heading home from Parker Lumber in Bradford, Maine-about 3 hours north of Portland. The load of lumber that I had on the truck was too much for the truck to handle(I couldn't have known this since I've never ordered lumber for pick-up before and I have never driven the newly purchased used Mitsubishi Fuso before). It [...]
September 3, 2019 Dear Diary, I had the most amazing idea today! I decided that I am going to start a new business! I think I'll call it the Lumbery. April 21, 2020 Dear Diary, I have never been more stressed out in my life. I am nearly out of money, I can't figure out this Town stuff. What is fenestration anyway? I barely sleep, I'm irritable all the time. And now there's a pandemic raging. Why [...]
Pine Trees and Aspirin Maine is the Pine Tree State. So why are you buying pine from Idaho and Georgia and Canada? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5uNEfEfr5O8&t=3s Jamie Dimon, the CEO of JP Morgan Chase said, and I quote, "Economies of scale are a good thing. If we didn't have them, we'd still be living in tents and eating buffalo." Actually Jamie, economies of scale are sometimes a good thing but they can also be a very bad thing. Large retailers with central distribution [...]
Arachno-Capitalism: When a web of people form the words “some pig”...or something like that. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gOS3uPctiA "Do you understand how there could be any writing in a spider's web?" "Oh, No," said Dr. Dorian. "I don't understand it. But for that matter I don't understand how a spider learned to spin a web in the first place. When the words appeared, everyone said they were a miracle. But nobody pointed out that the web itself is [...]
Nailed It!!! Last Tuesday we received approval from the Town of Cape Elizabeth planning board! To celebrate we are super excited to announce the "Grand Opening" of our online store!!! Now you can be the first one on your block to sport some fresh, hip Lumbery schwag. Including some sweet T's! Type in the word "APPROVED" at checkout to receive an additional 10% off everything except for the gift cards. By shopping at our store you join in the movement that [...]
Saving the planet is going to take creativity. Although I love the standard methods of planet saving that many of us exercise in our daily lives such as recycling, planting a tree or biking to work; I am very much drawn to the ideas that seem far fetched or even ridiculous. I recently listened to the "How I built this" podcast hosted by Guy Raz in which he interviewed Patrick Brown, chief executive and founder of [...]
Touring People, Visiting Mills Ralph Waldo Emerson once said "It's not the destination, It's the journey." Butler's Cedar ShakesCorinth, Maine You might purchase a piece of wood at my store but the story of how it got there is worth learning and savoring. This week my partner, Ryan Holland, and I went on a journey to meet and reconnect with craftsmen and craftswomen, carpenters, mills, entrepreneurs and madmen throughout the state of Maine. We were [...]
