Kelseyville Lumber opens new $9.5 million superstore today
KELSEYVILLE ? Kelseyville Lumber looks more like a Home Depot in its new, 81,000-square-foot building, which opens today. But General Manager and part-owner Mark Borghesani says he doesn”t like to use that name.
The Lakeport Regional Chamber of Commerce planned a ribbon-cutting ceremony today at 7:30 a.m. to commemorate the opening of the store. Borghesani said Monday he was about 70 percent ready after he got the final approval to move in Jan. 23.
“It”s a big-box, but it”s a little more homey. You see a lot more people. That”s the tricky part. It”s hard to be competitive and provide a high level of service,” Borghesani said.
That”s what he plans to do in the new building, which will house an indoor, outdoor garden center, an on-site restaurant, a coffee cart and products ranging from lumber to window glass to sleeping bags, garden gloves and even toys. Borghesani said he hired back 10 full-time people he let go in January and hired five more, bringing the employee count to 65.
The $9.5 million relocation project began five years ago with the purchase of the property, and commencing with the three-year process of rezoning the property from agricultural to commercial. Construction took approximately a year, with the lumber company supplying most of the materials.
The space dedicated to retail increased from 4,000 square feet in the store”s previous location in downtown Kelseyville to approximately 40,000 in its new location, a few blocks west on Main Street.
“Piedmont has expanded ? they”re one of our biggest competitors in Lakeport ? Mendo Mill has expanded in Clearlake, now we have expanded, and we don”t need a Home Depot,” Borghesani said.
Borghesani”s executive assistant, Lisa Ridgeway, said a major difference is that people can walk in with an idea for a project and walk out with the materials they need.
“We special-ordered a lot of things, but now we carry a lot of those things on our shelves,” Ridgeway said.
Borghesani said the expansion got under way at a time when the industry demanded it, before the housing market began to slow in 2006. He said he knows hard times are ahead, but hopes the market will pick up again at the end of this year or the beginning of 2010.
“The demand was greater three years ago. The problem with a project like this is it takes so much energy and work to get into it that you can”t just stop it. We chose to be moving forward when the whole economy is moving backwards,” Borghesani said.
Borghesani said he”s not waiting for a new housing rush, but hopes to target the home improvement and rental markets, as well as providing recreational vehicle and marine supplies.
“It”s going to be tough because people aren”t spending money,” Borghesani said. “What we feel is that there are a lot of people who are going out of town for a lot of the stuff that we have who are really going to be supportive of being able to come in and get their cleaning supplies and storage units and chain saws and everything right in town now.”
Borghesani”s grandfather opened Kelseyville Lumber at its previous Main Street location in 1956. His parents, Robert and Anni Borghesani, co-own it now along with brothers Mark and Paul Borghesani.
Contact Tiffany Revelle at trevelle@record-bee.com, or call her directly at 263-5636 ext. 37.
