Support your local businesses for future

Support your local business. I always heard that as a kid growing up … and to truly understand it, is in times like right now. In Rangely there is a local lumber yard business by the name of Heritage Building and Home. With the little amount of building that occurs in Rangely, it was surprising to see how many people bring lumber in from out of town lumber yards. I’m not sure if people understand the lumber business, but it changes daily on items like two-by-fours and that affects pricing. For instance a pallet of two-by-fours may be $2,000 today and by tomorrow go up to $2,300. It’s always a good idea for the business to purchase when the price is low so those prices pass down to the customer. Then you get into supply and demand. When an item isn’t being sold, the lumber yard holds onto what it has and doesn’t need to purchase any more at that time.
I decided to check down in Grand Junction at four lumber yards to see where the Rangely lumber yard stood on their pricing. Out of 12 items, Heritage was lower on four, average on five and slightly more on three. When I say average, I’m saying in the middle of the four stores and when I say slightly higher I mean by maybe $1 on a particular plywood. Heritage was $4 cheaper than all four on cedar posts.
It helps to shop locally by keeping a lumber yard in business. On average, a vehicle gets 18 miles per gallon. With 180 miles roundtrip to Grand Junction the average consumer purchasing at least 10 gallons and at $2.80 per gallon that’s $28. I suppose that does help the gas stations in Rangely. After talking with Mr. John Hume, the owner of Heritage Building and Home, it’s clear that he would be able to provide a discount on lumber packages as well as have the lumber delivered within a weeks time or some cases the same week.
Just food for thought really. During hard economic times doesn’t it make more sense to keep a local business going than let them close down? The prices seem fair and the delivery time is fast. Mr. Hume is a good man willing to help any time a customer needs something. Don’t drive by on your way to Grand Junction without even giving him a chance. Stop in and get an idea on what his prices are before spending the $30 to support Grand Junction.
Heritage is not the only business that falls into this type of circumstance. Which businesses are of value to the success of Rangely?
Doug Cates
Grand Junction