By Laura Catalano
Special to The Mercury
LOWER POTTSGROVE - Sixty years ago, the late Amandus D. Moyer, of Gilbertsville, bought an old, defunct wooden roller coaster from the former Sanatoga Amusement Park. He tore it down, ripped it apart and reaped a profit by selling the lumber.
When he'd depleted his stock, Moyer headed out to coal country and purchased a wooden coal cracker. He dismantled it, shipped it to Gilbertsville and once again sold the lumber off.
All that recycled wood and ingenuity formed the foundation of what has grown into the very successful A.D. Moyer Lumber and Hardware Inc., with stores in Gilbertsville, Lower Pottsgrove and Douglassville.
Moyer began selling new lumber and other building materials in 1940, at the Gilbertsville site, and the store prospered throughout the 1950s and '60s. In 1974, a second site was added on Armand Hammer Boulevard, in Lower Pottsgrove. Today, both stores remain in the family, along with a third location off Route 724 in Douglassville. Despite its humble beginnings, the business continues to flourish.
In fact, according to information provided by the company, 1999 proved to be their most prosperous sales year ever. That's particularly impressive when you consider that last April Home Depot opened a 114,000-square-foot retail store directly across the street from A.D. Moyer's Lower Pottsgrove store on Armand Hammer Boulevard.
While large chains and mega-stores often put small, family-owned operations out of business, A.D. Moyer has held onto its share of the market in part because it is a family enterprise, according to A.D. Moyer's A.D. Moyer's director of marketing.
A.D. Moyer is now co-owned by cousins Scott and Terry Moyer, grandsons of the company's founder. About six other family members work in the business, on a part-time and full-time basis. They strive to be loyal to their employees and customers alike.
"Overall, working for a family-owned business you'll find more understanding and flexibility than a corporate-owned company can give," he noted.
The Moyers, for example, allow workers to alter their schedules to attend school or sports functions. What's more, they don't lay off employees during the slower, winter months.
As a result, employees are less inclined to leave. And that benefits the customers. "We have employees that have been here many, many years," he said. "Customers need that guidance to have confidence that they are getting the right materials."
While A.D. Moyer readily serves home-owners and do-it-yourselfers, the lion's share of its business comes from contractors. That being the case, the Moyers have maintained a strong commitment to assisting builders and remodelers with their own businesses.
"We cater to them in every sense. We provide a lot of services to them," he said.
The company regularly hosts contractor education breakfasts, offering clients a hearty meal while suppliers provide a lesson on new materials and the best methods for using them. That type of indulgence has kept many customers loyal over the years.
"We focus on helping them make their own business a success, and that success floats back to us," he explained. "We're not just here to sell them materials. We want to be an ally with them."
Because A.D. Moyer has such strong customer loyalty, owners didn't panic when they first learned Home Depot had been proposed. Instead, they did their homework. A.D. Moyer contacted other independent lumber yards that had survived and thrived after a chain store had opened nearby.
In fact, the company's affiliate, Moyer Lumber, in Bethlehem has been operating successfully with a Home Depot less than one block away since 1994.
What they has learned is that A.D. Moyer is actually better off having competition across the street than across town. When people can't find what they want at Home Depot, they often make a quick stop at Moyer's to pick up supplies.
Nevertheless, for the most part, A.D. Moyer doesn't seek to tap into the same customer base as Home Depot. Instead, they remain geared toward professional builders and offer specialty items like custom millwork - both areas where chains can't compete, according to A.D. Moyer.