Southern Lumber

Dear Customers and Friends of SLC, With our final day of business quickly approaching this Friday, I wanted to reach out to our customers to provide a quick update to the sale of our Museum pieces as well as our heavy equipment and store fixtures. Southern Lumber will close at 3:00 PM this Friday, June 19th. We have nearly sold through our entire inventory! I wanted to thank you all for answering the call since Memorial Day. We have seen a number of pilgrims that wante...d to come say goodbye to us, and of course, take advantage of the most ridiculous prices that we’ve ever run in this store. Our past three weekends have been well attended by well-wishers and mourners alike. So many friends and family have come through and shared their history and memories of Southern Lumber; it’s been a very emotional experience, but I thank you for sharing them with me. To our museum collectors that have taken the time to put in requests for specific pieces from our collection: I’m working with History San Jose to preserve a good portion of our Museum Tools in an exhibit next to their Blacksmithing Exhibit already in use on their grounds at Kelly Park. I’m also trying to make a few die-hard collectors happy by selling some of the pieces in the collection, but it’s taking much more time than I imagined, so please be patient while I work through this extensive wish-list. For clients that have enquired about buying our tools, heavy machinery, store fixtures, office furniture and many other items.we are compiling a list of available items and prices to send out to all interested parties. We will likely open the store for 1-2 days only, sometime in July, for customers to view and purchase these items. If you are interested in receiving this list and/or previewing heavy equipment, please email your request to [email protected] and we will forward it to you when it’s complete and ready for distribution. Walkthroughs and previews need to be set up individually, so be sure to include a daytime number with your email. Thank you again for 110 years of woodworking magic from the Wonderful World of Wood! Sincerely, Jeff Pohle President/CEO

Picnic Table, carved from an entire tree Courtesy of: @michael_beitz [IG]

For those of you that would like to relive some SLC memories, I have just the place for you to visit. I hope to add to the galleries as time allows. Thanks again to those who had a hand in creating 110 years of fond memories at Southern Lumber Company, the Wonderful World of Wood. https://jeffreypohlef66c.myportfolio.com/work

If he were able to, I think my grandfather would have tried to get this into the museum as well!

Many, many years ago, a group called the Rainforest Action Network intimated that I should stop selling redwood because it was coming from ancient growth forests (no true, but that's another story). If I refused, they threatened to demonstrate and protest at our store. So early one Saturday morning, I'm relaxing with my kids when I get a call that there's trouble at the store. It was quite a carnival experience. I wish I still had the newspaper article because one of the demonstrators that was interviewed gave her age as 1,000 years old, in solidarity with the trees that they wanted to protect. I had the best "last word" though....."They're barking up the wrong tree..."

Four years ago we closed the lumberyard for good, but I hope to keep the wonderful memories alive digitally. Thanks again San Jose! https://jeffreypohlef66c.myportfolio.com/

It's been a long time since I updated this page with some good news. If you've followed the story of Downtown College Prep, then this is the moment you've waited for. Downtown College Prep is opening their doors to the public for their dedication ceremony on May 13th, and they've asked our Southern Lumber family in particular to come by and help contribute to the community sculpture that they're creating to recognize the longevity, community history, and most importantly, ou...r exceptional employees and customers that have supported this community for over a hundred years. This will be my first time seeing our old building, re-imagined and re-purposed for the future generations of kids that will pass through it's doors for many years to come. Please come join us on May 13th and see the brand new campus, and take some time to revel and remember a bit as we christen the new campus. If you can't make the event, but would like to contribute to the sculpture that is being created, DCP is happy to accept your wood donation during their normal business hours. I look forward to seeing those of you that can make it on the 13th. Thanks again for all of your love and support for our little wood store!

Dear Customers and Friends of SLC, We sold through nearly our entire inventory! Thank you all (again) for your very heartfelt goodbyes and your continued support all the way down to selling our last box of nails on the last day. A very special thank-you to some of our former employees that came by during our last days to say goodbye to other fellow old-timers, some of whom I have not seen for many years. To our museum collectors that have taken the time to put in reques...ts for specific pieces from our collection: There is still time to put in requests for select items from our Museum Collection, but requests must be specific; stating that you’re interested in some museum tools is too broad to work with, so help me out please! I plan to meet with History San Jose this week to finalize which tools from the collection will be used in their woodworking & logging exhibit that they’re planning. Once they’re selected, I will sell off the remaining tools to collectors and woodworkers during our One Last Sale. For clients that have enquired about buying our tools, heavy machinery, store fixtures, office furniture and many other items.we have compiled a list of available items and prices to send out to all interested parties prior to our One Last Sale. We will open the store for 2 days only, July 9th & 10th from 10 AM to 3 PM, for customers to view and purchase these items. If you are interested in receiving this list and/or previewing heavy equipment prior to One Last Sale, please email your request to [email protected]. Walkthroughs and previews need to be set up individually, so be sure to include a daytime number with your emailed request. Thank you again for 110 years of woodworking magic from the Wonderful World of Wood! Sincerely, Jeff Pohle President/CEO

Dear Customers, I need your help in placing this Fire Fighting relic where it belongs.in the San Jose Firefighting Museum. A couple of months ago, a couple of elderly gentlemen were touring our Museum of tools, and asked if I would be interested in donating this item to our local Firefighting Museum. I have since lost their contact information; do any of you clever-customers happen to know how to get in contact with these gentlemen at the Firefighting Museum here in town?... I’m betting that one of our savvy customers know these folks and can help me get in contact with them. Please email me at [email protected] with any useful information you may have. Thank you! Sincerely, Jeff Pohle President/CEO

If you would like to check what we have in stock please give us a call at (408) 297-9663!

Customers and Friends, many have you have asked us where you can go to find wood after we close. If you are looking for exotic woods here are some places we suggest: Aura Hardwoods: http://www.aurahardwoods.com/home Address: 620 Quinn Ave, San Jose, CA 95112 Phone:(408) 275-1990 Global Wood Source: http://www.globalwoodsource.com/ Address: 376 Reed St, Santa Clara, CA 95050 Phone:(408) 392-0573 MacBeath Hardwoods: http://www.macbeath.com/ Address: 2211 Ringwood Ave, San Jose, CA 95131 Phone:(408) 526-9663

Customers and Friends, it’s been a strange, nostalgic holiday weekend. When I get the opportunity to work the floor, I get the chance to interact with many of you, and with the news of our closing, there have been so many customers to talk to this weekend, all taking their last walk through the wood aisles. Many recognize me from helping them in the store, and from news articles, and while they tell me that they’re very sad to see us go, they also share their wonderful stor...ies about why Southern Lumber has been such an important part of their lives. It’s touching to hear about how their dad used to take them here as a child to build go-karts, or how a burned down home was carefully recreated piece by piece using Southern Lumber wood. We have been a haven and sanctuary for Bay Area woodworkers for over a century now. If you happened to read the very brief article in San Jose Mercury News, it gave a rather disheartenning impression of Southern Lumber and myself. Unfortunately, Mr. Rodriguez never bothered to contact me for the article (I was unavailable?) and instead used pieces of an article from the Business Journal article. My advertising rep for the Mercury News has my cell phone number; I don’t understand why they didn’t use it to get the complete story. I love the business and relationships that Southern Lumber has created during my tenure; it’s the ownership issues that drive me mad at times. I’m sorry that Mr. Rodriguez took that one item and decided to quote it out of context, and missed the 110 years of rich history that Southern Lumber has accumulated, and the legion of loyal customers that we will have to say goodbye to very soon. See more