Mr. G. H. Brown

An excerpt from “Hardwood Shavings,” published by Strable Hardwoods in June, 1925 follows.

“In 1905-1906, Mr. G. H. Brown was the
office manager and purchasing agent for the Strable Manufacturing Company of Saginaw, Michigan. Due to the confining nature of the work, his health failed and he was forced to give up his position to seek health in the West. He came to Oakland not only to find health, but an opportunity, and after looking the field over thoroughly, he decided that there was an excellent opening for the kind of business he contemplated.

“With slight capital (consisting chiefly of one carload of Birch lumber), but with unfailing determination, the Brown - King Co. was launched . . . There were no employees. Business was solicited, orders delivered, and accounts kept by the two members of the firm. Then, with the first growth, a man was employed in the warehouse, then two; others being added to handle the office detail, etc., making a total force in 1910 numbering seven. Later the company was taken over by Mr. Brown, to be conducted under the name of G. H. Brown Lumber Co.

“. . . The business began to grow rapidly, outstripping . . . the available capital . . . and it became, finally, a branch of the Strable Manufacturing Company.

Main warehouse and office of Strable Lumber Company, 1925.

“In 1916 Mr. Brown was able to satisfactorily finance the business and it was again taken over by him and incorporated under its present name [Strable Hardwood Company].”⁴

Through the “Great Depression” and World War II

The Depression Years were difficult for most businesses. The financial strength of Higgins, our respected position with our suppliers and continued attention to serving customer needs undoubtedly were the ingredients that kept the Company going when many failed.

1940 - In spite of the poor economic environment, the management of J. E. Higgins Lumber Company committed to the Company’s growth and expansion. Three neighboring properties in San Francisco were purchased and combined into a single
ten-acre parcel at 99 Bayshore Boulevard, where the entire Higgins operation was consolidated.

An artist's rendering of the Higgins facility at 99 Bayshore Boulevard, San Francisco, upon their 57th anniversary in 1940.

1942 - The declaration of war brought economic stability and, indeed, prosperity. During World War II, Golden State Flooring sold flooring on a “Priority Basis,” with the largest quantity being supplied for government housing projects and military bases. Because the Office of Price Administration put a ceiling price on unfinished flooring materials, manufacturers began to produce prefinished wood flooring for the first time, since there was no set ceiling price on this item. For this reason, very little unfinished flooring was sold during this time.

The Postwar years and into “the Kennedy Camelot”

With the end of the war, government loans became available to the returning veterans, and a housing boom occurred. The lowest priced items were in the highest demand. Golden State Flooring sold as many as 200 carloads of flooring in a year during these boom times.

A new mill with the latest machinery available was opened at the 99 Bayshore location. The planing mill occupied nearly an acre in its concrete building and utilized 1500 HP in equipment, an impressive facility for the time.

1957 - Strable Hardwood Company moved into its new warehouse and offices at Second and Alice Street in Oakland, one block west of Jack London Square. With Strable - as with Higgins - emphasis was on providing quick service of top quality materials.

J.E. Higgins (left) and Ward Higgins were caught in a rare photograph when they temporarily deserted their own bailiwick last Fall to cross over the bridge and take in the Grand Opening of the enlarged and remodeled Strable Lumber Co. in Oakland		Three huge doors permit easy truck access to interior stocks in the 52,000 square foot warehouse. The railroad spur accommodated three rail cars loading and unloading at the same time.

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