Siwek Lumber & Millwork Corp. store with new signage. The east entrance on Marshall was removed to gain room for inventory inside. The entrance on the south side remains. (Mark Peterson)
A June 21st celebration at the Siwek Lumber and Millwork’s Marshall Street headquarters brought out neighbors, vendors and longtime customers to see some of the recent changes to the company. At a time when many independent hardware businesses are folding or getting bought out, Siwek Lumber is expanding and making plans for succession.
Tom Siwek, the company’s president and owner, talked about how the 92-year-old Northeast institution is doing and where it’s going.
He said a big part of his decision to remodel and expand was “To set things up well for my three children and nephew, because I don’t want to hand them off a dilapidated, rundown operation.” Siwek added that he’s about five years from retirement. He expects the millwork part of the business, which is run by his son Alex, to keep improving and expanding.
Alex Siwek has been with the company for 14 years. Siwek said, “He’s very talented, very skilled and a big part of our success, because he runs that whole division, doing all our moldings and special sash and windows.’ His daughter Emily, a general manager, has been with the company for six years.
Siwek said the current remodel included increasing the number of items available in the hardware department by about 40%, including a large array of Milwaukee-brand tools and accessories. He noted that Siwek has been the largest independent Milwaukee tool dealer in Minnesota for the past eight years. He also said their customers across all brands are roughly 50% contractors and 50% do-it-yourselfers.
Asked how economic conditions affect their business, Siwek said, “The remodeling world is recession-proof. Not matter how bad the economy is, people still have to fix up their homes. Homes deteriorate, and you can’t stop that.” Regarding possible tariffs, he said, “There have always been tariffs on lumber, so it’s not really an issue.”
Siwek said people might not be aware of the depth of materials the company offers. “We have two acres — bigger than any Home Depot or Menards — and what might be surprising is the quantity of our inventory stock. You go to Menards and you want to get some cedar boards, and they may have four, whereas we probably have a hundred.”
The history of the company goes back to 1933, during the Great Depression. After losing his job, Joseph Siwek began collecting scrap wood and scavenging coal from railroad tracks to sell as heating fuel. The business operated on East Hennepin. After World War II, coal and firewood for heating were largely replaced by natural gas, and the Siweks moved on to selling plywood, lumber and other modern building products. They then established their business at its present location at Lowry Avenue and Marshall Street. The company suffered three major fires (in 1984, 1989 and 1993), each time rebuilding and expanding, including new sites in Jordan and Le Sueur. The outcome of the 1993 fire produced the present-day twin buildings that allowed more space for an enlarged millwork and lumber inventory.
The sales and showroom floor at the newly expanded and remodeled Siwek Lumber & Millwork. Inventory has expanded by 40%, including more room for tools and supplies. (Mark Peterson)