Anawalt Introduces General Manager Ahead of Store Opening

By JENNIKA INGRAM | Reporter

As Anawalt’s Palisades Hardware eyes a late May soft opening, President and CEO Rolando Robles reveals Rosie Maravilla will be a first-time general manager at the store.

“We’re excited to be available for the community because everyone has been super excited and comes over and shares with us how they desperately need us,” Maravilla shared with the Palisadian-Post.

Anawalt is moving into a portion of the space formerly occupied by Norris Hardware, which has sat empty since the store closed in July 2018.

For nearly three decades, Maravilla worked for Anawalt True Value Lumber in North Hollywood until she left to join Anawalt Lumber in West Los Angeles—referred to as the Pico location—for the past six years.

Maravilla started at the Anawalt Lumber Pico store as a buyer and grew to become a senior buyer. When she was offered the general manager position at the new Palisades location, she was ecstatic.

The supervisor at the Pico location, Juan Ayala, has also relocated to the forthcoming store, taking on the position of store manager.

“We work as a family,” Maravilla shared. “We’ve been in business for many, many years, since 1923.” It’s what has kept her working with the Anawalt family, as they call themselves, for so long. The family-owned and operated lumber company has four locations, plus the new store in the Palisades.

Robles reported in February that the Palisades location would be similar to Anawalt’s others, but instead of a lumber yard, the space will be a full-service hardware store. Offerings will be a similar mix to Norris, including plumbing, electrical and items to maintain a nursery, though there will not be any plants.

Bilingual in Spanish and English, Maravilla, a resident of Santa Clarita, has been married for 25 years to her husband Frank. They have three children.

Maravilla admitted she’s been working seven days per week to get everything ready.

“We have had a lot of hiccups because of COVID-19,” Maravilla explained about waiting for certain supplies.

Maravilla shared that she is also looking forward to meeting the Palisades community and being able to help customers with emergency repairs and weekend projects. She said her aim is to create “perfect the mix.”

“My goal is to have inventory where it is at a level where we can support the community with their needs,” she continued.

Maravilla said that she has always wanted to run her own store. She told Robles that she wanted to learn and grow with the company, and if Anawalt Lumber opened a new store, she would like to be considered for the position of general manager.

When Robles brought Maravilla to the vacant Norris Hardware site late last year, he asked her if she thought they should move in. She recalled telling him that it “would be awesome to add a fifth store to our current situation.”

“Great, would you be interested in running it?” Maravilla shared Robles asked.

And with that, he offered her the general manager position and her goal of running a store was achieved.