Odds and Ends

Another weekend and another winter storm...I think this is three weeks in a row. This one seems to be the storm that will pack the most punch, we are hearing anything from 4 to 10 inches. Our local news stations are doing a great job scaring people, we have already been bombarded with customers buying Rock Salt, Safe Step ice melt and sand. We anticipate this will only get crazier as we open our doors tommorow morning. Enough about this snow.


As we head into 2010, new products are being launched by many manufacturers. You name the product line and I can tell you about their endeavors for 2010. I'll keep this brief today and bring you a few more updates weekly as we lead up to the NAHB International Builders Show in Las Vegas (January 2010).

• AZEK Deck will be introducing 5 new PVC deck colors. Very cutting edge and all have a great look and feel to them. In addition to these products, AZEK will be introducing two new moulding profiles (small crown and square baluster) and a thicker trimboard in all sizes. AZEK is one of the hottest companies in the building industry and we are thrilled to have a strong relationship with them.


• Larson Storm doors have launched various new items mainly for the Do-It-Yourselfer. One that should be a crowd pleaser is The Insider Storm Window. Many people refuse to install the storm window to the exterior of their home, its sloppy and and requires an extension ladder. The Insider offers the same benefits and insulates better, reduces drafts, good sound control and easy removal. Great for historic homes and condos when you want a quick fix at a fraction of the cost of new windows, for more info check out http://www.larsondoors.com/storm_windows/products/insider_windows/


• Titebond Weathermaster sealant has been specifically formulated to outperform all other sealant technologies, including silicones and urethanes. This superior polymer formula provides the best possible performance on siding, windows, doors and vents. Its availble in 200 colors - we stock the most commonly used colors. And best part about Weathermaster - it guns out at 0 degrees fahrenheit!!!
  

Thanks for checking in. Our hours this weekend are Friday 7am to 5pm and Saturday 8am to 2pm. Please remember we will be closed Dec. 26th and Jan. 2nd.

Baby its cold outside

I started last weeks blog off by saying we were expecting a high of 39 degrees with snow and rain, well this weekend doesn't get any better. My thermometer just read 19 degrees and our friends at www.weather.com expect a high of 33 degrees with wind gusts up to 40mph, not very conducive to putting up Christmas decorations or anything else that requires you to stand outside for more than two minutes.

So as you can see I am sick and tired of winter already and this just makes me appreciate the people who work outside in this kind of weather even more, i.e. our yard employees, a.k.a "The Yard Dawgs". I challenge anyone in our business to show me a better staff of yard personal - it can't be done. Regardless of the conditions our men are pleasant, attentive and above everything else skilled and talented to offer product suggestions to our contractor and homeowner customers. Prosales magazine recently did a story on the Building Material industry's best salesperson (great article!) but I'd nominate a different kind of salesperson for this distinction - The Yard Dawgs of Niece Lumber! Not a day goes by that a customer doesn't come into the sales counter and rave about how wonderful their experience was in the yard.

In closing, I encourage you all to go shop elsewhere, wait 20 minutes to be helped then load your vehicle with below average material. It'll make you appreciate the Niece Lumber Yard Dawgs too!

I despise this time of year

I just checked the Saturday weather for our area - 39 degree high and a chance of snowy/rainy weather. Our preference in this industry is to have this kind of weather on a weekend. Dismal weather mid-week essentially wipes out a good business day, so we are fortunate this time around. As much as we like being a supplier of ice melt, rock salt and shovels - this generally doesn't pay the bills but we loaded up again this year to supply our loyal customers. Our inventory includes the Safe Step brand of Ice Melt (10lb, 25lb, or 50lb) and Hailite Rock Salt (10lb, 25lb, 50lb and 80lb). We offer pallet discounts for plowers, farmers, estate owners, etc.

We have some great tool and gift ideas for the holiday season. We stock the Fein Multimaster tool and sell is for $393.75 - for comparison sake Sears sells this same tool for $399.99. For more information on the Multimaster tool go to http://www.fein.de/fein-multimaster/us/en/main/
Do yourself a favor and don't settle for the low priced knockoffs out there or you'll be in the same boat as two customers from last month who bought the knockoff brand only to come back and buy the Fein brand. Our Makita inventory is well stocked with Routers, Drills, table saws, circular saws and planers. Its not uncommon to surprise your significant others with houseware items like new kitchen knobs and pulls, countertops, crown moulding, or a new front door. This can all be done by Christmas if ordered in time.

Our social media efforts have increased over the past 6 months. Its a great way for us to keep our followers and customers posted on important information from Niece Lumber. You can follow us on Twitter, become a fan on Facebook or just visit our website www.niecelumber.com and follow our blog which is updated every Friday morning.

Unfortunately, Niece Lumber will be closed Dec. 26th and January 2nd.