THEDFORD – In its 100-year history, Thedford Lumber & Supply has had only 3 owners, and in February, it crowned its fourth: Dave Masek purchased the Thedford staple from Tim Neal, and has brought the store into the 21st century.
Masek has expanded the store’s inventory and offerings in more ways than one: in addition to a front-and-center island of Milwaukee tools, the new owner has updated the registers, and the store will now accept credit cards. One thing that Masek refuses to change, however, is Thedford Lumber & Supply’s level of customer service.
“Tim was here 45 years, through high school until he just sold the property. I’m really trying to carry on his legacy of making sure we treat the community the way he did, and offer them whatever they need.”
The shop has also expanded its hours and is now open until 7 p.m. on Thursday, with murmurs of Saturday hours down the line, though Masek says that those are closer to guidelines; if he’s around, he’ll help where he can.
“That’s what I tell everybody: if my pickup’s out front, I’m here, come on in. There’s been Saturdays and Sundays I’ve been here, and people have come in and bought stuff.”
In addition to materials and hours, the new owner says that he’s planning to grow the services that Thedford Lumber & Supply will offer, including construction equipment rental in the near future, and, as Masek points to an enormous empty barn, access to a fully-equipped woodshop.
“Every lumber yard has a radial arm saw, so we’re going to take out these first two or three doors and put in table saws, in case somebody wants a window or a picture frame built, stuff like that.”
Masek, also the recently-anointed Fire Chief of Purdum, has one more update for his century-old business: a mascot, in the form of 6-month-old Mike, a brown wirehair part-Collie named for Purdum firefighter Mike Moody, who lost his life in the line of duty protecting his community from the Bovee Fire that raged through the county last October.
Masek’s shiny new Thedford Lumber & Supply is currently open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and until 7 p.m. on Thursday, in the same place it’s been for the past 100 years: downtown Thedford.
