McKinnon Lumber is a reminder of Hollister’s past and future
Walking into McKinnon Lumber is like traveling back in time.
The storefront, located on Seventh Street, resembles the front
of a building seen in the towns of old Western films. Inside, a
long wooden train bearing the company’s name hangs above the back
counter, where owner John Barrett, wearing boots, jeans and a
baseball cap, takes orders and doles out advice to his customers in
a gravely voice.
McKinnon Lumber is a reminder of Hollister’s past and future
Walking into McKinnon Lumber is like traveling back in time.
The storefront, located on Seventh Street, resembles the front of a building seen in the towns of old Western films. Inside, a long wooden train bearing the company’s name hangs above the back counter, where owner John Barrett, wearing boots, jeans and a baseball cap, takes orders and doles out advice to his customers in a gravely voice. The shelves are filled with just about every gadget needed for any possible construction project, yet handwritten price tags, rather than computer-generated scan tags, hang below each item.
San Benito County’s oldest retail business – its official date of establishment is 1872, although history buff Barrett suspects it goes back further – is a reflection of how life in this area used to be – and still is. Even as the community moves into the future, with more and more brand name companies finding their way into Hollister, McKinnon Lumber flourishes, thanks in large part to the very history that makes it unique.
“We can provide quality customer service and detailed product knowledge,” said Barrett, who worked at McKinnon Lumber for 16 years before taking over from his uncle in 1989. “There was a guy who came in the other day. He had gotten different quotes for a project he was working on. Our prices were slightly higher, but he came here because he knew he could talk to me face to face.”
McKinnon Lumber specializes in lumber and plywood, but it is a full-service company, where its customers can find cement, hardware and hardware supplies, roofing materials, paint, fencing materials and aluminum screen doors. The store also has a display of knives hanging on a wall behind the counter, as well as small items such as key chains.
On any given day, Barrett and his wife Jean, who does the company’s books, can be found behind the counter, greeting customers and answering questions. The dozen or so employees, including the couple’s son, Brian, work in the yard, loading trucks and helping customers choose the right wood and/or hardware needed for their projects.
“We have a mixture of inventory items, many of which have changed to reflect today’s inventions,” Barrett said. “At least 50 percent of our items weren’t in stock back in the day because they hadn’t been invented 20 years ago. But we keep up with the changes. Our inventory changes all the time.”
A visit to McKinnon Lumber is vastly different from one to the big name companies familiar to many customers today. There is the product knowledge – Barrett and his staff can make recommendations and offer suggestions to customers, and understand what products work best for a specific project. They know where to find merchandise on the shelves, order an item not currently in stock and provide a friendly expertise lost in today’s fast-paced world, Barrett said.
“We do a lot of hand-holding, for lack of a better word,” he said. “We will guide you through a project. It’s like anything – I’m at a loss when it comes to mechanics. I would need help. If there is someone who doesn’t know anything about lumber, we are here to help.”
Barrett is also willing to share with his customers his knowledge of McKinnon Lumber’s history. It is a subject that enthralls Barrett – the top drawer of a battered metal filing cabinet behind the back counter is filled with yellowed newspaper clippings and old photos showing McKinnon Lumber as far back as 1884.
“It took up a whole city block,” Barrett said, as he showed a handful of photos to a customer standing at the counter. Even today, the business is the largest in downtown Hollister in terms of square footage, occupying half of a city block. “I can take its existence back to 1872, but I think it might go back further than that. Angus P. Boyd originally established the business as A.P. Boyd Lumber, and he and his family lived on the property. You can see their home in the picture.”
Barrett, who says he can “talk about history all day long,” began working at McKinnon Lumber at age 27. The company had changed hands a few times since Boyd first established it; A.D. McKinnon bought the lumberyard in and changed its name around 1910, running it until his death in 1948. Just prior to his death, McKinnon sold the company to his nephew, Roy Brown and Brown’s partner, Zene Pivetti. The pair ran McKinnon Lumber until they retired in 1970. In 1972, Barrett’s uncle, Marion Magladry, purchased the company.
Barrett began working part-time for his uncle while between jobs as a way of bringing home a pay check while Jean was on maternity leave, just having given birth to the couple’s first child, son Brian.
“I just took to it,” Barrett said. “It was something I enjoyed. It just gets into you.”
At one point, the entire Barrett family – John, Jean, Brian and daughter Diane – worked at the lumberyard, although Diane has since left to pursue other interests. Jean said having Brian around has been very special.
“Our son is very good at what he does,” she said. “If we want to go away for the weekend, we can, because we know he can take care of things for us.”
Although change is on the horizon – a Lowe’s Home Improvement store is scheduled to open in Hollister in 2008 – Barrett said he continues to enjoy life, working with his family and sharing advice and swapping stories with his customers.
And if the loyalty and dedication his customers and employees show are any indication, McKinnon Lumber’s history has several more chapters ahead of it.
“I like it here. It makes it all real,” said Fernando Galindo, who was worked for the Barretts for three months. “I used to work at Home Depot, and this business is run the way a lumberyard should be. John is friendly and gives really good advice. I’m learning a lot. And he is very good with history.”
