North Shore Lumber Opens with Competitive Prices and Quality Commitment

My husband and I are embarking on the next phase of the construc­tion on our property. This means spending a lot of money on supplies and also spending a lot of money on gas to go back and forth to Dulu­th. That’s a 2-hour ride in the truck and, sometimes, it’s for something small that has halted the big proj­ect. It’s frustrating to take a huge chunk out of the day to retrieve the supplies you need to keep moving forward.

This was one reason why it was pretty appealing to take on the as­signment of attending the grand opening of North Shore Lumber in downtown Two Harbors on Sat­urday, June 29th. Not only could I snoop around on prices, but I could also enter a drawing to win a cooler, buckets of swag, gift certificates, a Milwaukee chainsaw, and more.

The employees of North Shore Lumber Yard were high energy and excited to welcome the communi­ty to the event. Mayor Lew Connor had his BBQ apron on to grill up some brats and hotdogs for attend­ees. The playlist was one that found a lot of people singing along or do­ing one of those little dances that you do when you can’t help your­self but to move to the beat.

I had been to the lumberyard be­fore for odds and ends. The first time I was referred there I wasn’t sure I had the correct directions until I found 822 4th Avenue and, inside of it, the odds and ends I needed. I had no idea of the lum­beryard’s history.

According to North Shore Lum­ber’s press release, “The lumber­yard dates back to the earliest days of the city when it was established in 1889 by Jas H. Lunz. The lum­beryard provided the growing city with lumber and coal shipments. Beginning in 1963, it was owned and operated by the Gangestad family. Last November, it was pur­chased by Adam Johnson of Dulu­th, allowing brother and sister Gene and Donna Gangestad to retire after 60 years of serving in the commu­nity.”

It was shared during the ceremo­ny that the lumberyard is actually one of the oldest established in the state of Minnesota. Now 135 years later, Adam, his family, and his herd of happy employees have renovated and revitalized the lumberyard. He expressed his gratitude to them as he thanked those in attendance.

“I think a lot of people know it was a major undertaking to get the business to where it is right now,” he said. “Lots of hours. Lots of hours. Lots of hard work and com­mitment. So, thank you to every­body that works here.”

Adam was presented with the key to the city from the Two Harbor’s mayor who said, “I hereby proclaim our appreciation for North Shore Lumber, and I encourage residents to support this valuable local busi­ness. And I further proclaim that to­day, June 29th, 2024, to be ‘North Shore Lumber Day’.”

There wasn’t a traditional ribbon cutting ceremony. In lieu of the fab­ric and scissors, Adam used a circu­lar saw to cut a board in half in front of the lumberyard doors for a board cutting ceremony.

He’s comfortable around a saw, having been in contracting for over 30 years. “Most of them with my tool bags on me,” he said. He was involved in commercial construc­tion, which led him to opening his first lumberyard in Minong, Wis­consin.

“Those prices are adjusted and very competitive down there. We actually used that point of sale to get our pricing,” Adam said. “That was actually the first thing we did. We turned the computer on from the other store and we used that price set to guide us as we worked on the changes here.”

This is something my husband had been curious about. What would the prices look like? Being that he was too busy building to join me on my expedition, I had to report back. I can confirm I found the prices to be competitive compared to other lum­beryards and stores in the area.

“I think it’s important to know that we’ve restructured the business to really deliver quality products at prices that are more than fair,” said Adam. “The store is designed to be friendly to your construction proj­ects. Anything to do with a house, that’s our specialty.”

The design inside the store is a complete remodel and the selection of inventory has expanded since previous ownership. North Shore Lumber really has everything, such as building supplies, hardware, tools, clothing, electrical, plumb­ing, decking, railing siding, mill­work, roofing, and more. They even rent equipment and offer free deliv­ery for larger orders.

“Our biggest challenge here was getting people to stop driving passed us on the way to Menards in Duluth,” said Adam, speaking to the need to bring more customers in from the area. “There are a couple ways to do that. One, your lum­ber has got to be better, and two, your prices have to be competitive enough that it’s not worth the trip anymore.”

It was worth the trip to North Shore Lumber to check it out. It’s great to know that we may be able to skip a trip and stop in Two Har­bors instead.

Congratulations to Adam John­son, his family, and the employ­ees of North Shore Lumber on the Grand Opening!