Grand Opening of Ridgefield Supply on September 16 is a Community Event

After undergoing the largest transformation in the history of the company, including a complete redevelopment of their lumberyard & retail store, the all new Ridgefield Supply opened their new store to the public in April. Owned and operated by Margaret Price, recently named Women of the Year by The Ridgefield Chamber of Commerce, this third-generation lumber company has entered a new era in the lumberyard business.

For the past several months, finishing touches of this major renovation have taken place, including the erection of two additional buildings and the complete restoration of the historic Victorian-style train station, which operated there from 1873 to 1962.

On Saturday, September 16, Ridgefield Supply will raise a glass, celebrating the project’s completion, and they want you to join them!  The Grand Re-Opening celebration is a community event, and will offer guests the opportunity to tour the supply company and its aesthetically pleasing 4 ½ acre campus.

In prep for this momentous occasion, we want to bring you back to the roots of the family-owned business, which had humble beginnings as the Osborn and Gilbert Lumberyard.

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The year was 1883. Richard W. Osborn and William O. Gilbert had their first lumberyard several miles down the road in Branchville, Conn. They decided to take advantage of the rail line (built in 1873) to haul their inventory in and moved the lumberyard to its current location in downtown Ridgefield, opposite the train station.

The lumberyard was later purchased by Harry Mayne and William Cargon who renamed it Ridgefield Lumber Company. In 1933, Frank Dain bought the company and renamed it the Ridgefield Supply Company and added more lines of merchandise. At that time, Mr. Louis H. Price, Sr. was hired as manager. In the early 1950’s Mr. Price acquired the majority interest in the company after Mr. Dain’s death.

Mr. Price was the third generation of his family in the lumber industry. His Grandfather owned and operated the largest Cyprus mill outside of New Orleans, LA at the turn of the century and his father was a lumber broker in Massachusetts.

Mr. Price was responsible for starting the lumberyard’s transformation by building several warehouses and a retail outlet located in a small red house on Prospect Street. In 1962, the rail shut down and the train station was transformed into additional warehouse space. By 1972, the small retail store was replaced by a state of the art showroom and office building.

In 1974, Mr. Price, Sr. retired after 43 years in the lumber industry. His son, Louis H. Price, Jr. succeeded him as the owner of the company. For over 30 years, Lou Price guided the company by providing traditional building supply products in addition to the latest, cutting edge material. Lou chaired the Lumber and Building Supply Committee for LMC and in 1999, he was named Connecticut Lumber Dealer of the Year.

In the summer of 2000, the third generation of Prices joined the sales force at the Ridgefield Supply Company. After graduating from Wheaton College, in Massachusetts, Lou’s daughter, Margaret Price, moved back to Ridgefield to become part of the family business. In 2005, the National Retail Hardware Association named her Young Retailer of the Year. Margaret worked side by side with her father for 12 years. Under her dad’s watchful eye, she grew into a leading force within the company and acquired Ridgefield Supply Company in October 2011 from her father. In 2015, she was named ProSales/KOMA Four Under 40.

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Ridgefield Supply will celebrate the largest transformation in the company’s history with a Grand Re-Opening Celebration on September 16. Stay tuned for more Grand Opening details (which include exciting surprises).

You can Ridgefield Supply by phone: (203) 438-2626 or visit their website here.

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Submitted by Ridgefield, CT

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