With the new space, Mike’s father, now the 90-year-old company chairman, took a chance at changing up the store hours, and stayed open later into the evening as well as Saturdays and Sundays. Most lumberyards at that time were closed evenings and both weekend days, but at the request of customers, the Walls kept open. Still not intending to fully get into the LBM business, when customers began requesting building materials, studs and Sheetrock, the Walls obliged. Soon they had decided to open another 15,000 square foot building about 100 yards away. They called it Power Townsend 2, and it was opened as a drive through lumberyard, the first of its kind in the area.
“Eventually we started getting more contractors,” Wall said, “but at first it was the DIY guys. We had the merchandise, we were open the hours they wanted and eventually that led to us getting into the delivery business.”
Today, Wall said, Power Townsend’s customer base is made up of 55% contractors. The company will deliver seven days a week, and will cover a wide range to get the products to their customers. While only 30,000 people live in Helena, the tri-county area consists of 65,000 people. The majority of those are within about 35 miles. While Wall said his normal trade area is around 150 miles, they’ve been known to make a delivery as far away as Sidney, Montana, a distance of nearly 500 miles.
“You have to keep in mind, here in Montana, the nearest big town may be 90 miles away,” Wall said.
