New Fisher Hardware Has Palisades Owners

When Palisadians Nancy and Erik Jorgensborg reopened Fisher Hardware and Lumber in Santa Monica in November, they were delighted at its instant success. “People have actually walked in and cheered, they’re so glad we’re here,” said Nancy, whose father, Bob Sievers, owned the original Fisher Lumber until 1980, at which time it was sold to Weyerhaeuser Co., a national lumber company. However, the land was then sold to the City of Santa Monica, which apparently intends to extend Memorial Park, which is adjacent to the site. “While this new space is a lot smaller than our other location, the only thing we don’t carry is green framing lumber,” Nancy continued. When Fisher Lumber, which operated for 82 years in Santa Monica, closed down last February, the couple saw the opportunity to fill an obvious void in the local construction supply market. Finding the right location was the biggest challenge. After months of looking, around they were able to secure a long-term lease at the corner of Colorado and Lincoln Boulevard, on the former Earl Scheib Body and Paint Shop site. Ironically, it was once the site of the Woodshed, the small lumber and hardware store Fisher operated before it opened at 14th and Colorado in 1975. While the new store carries half the stock and there is no automotive department, it does have adequate parking. “Fortunately, we have almost as much parking as before, so it’s easy for people to just run in and out and get what they need,” continued Nancy, who met Erik at her father’s store. “What we offer here is service, which Fisher has always been known for.” Need paint, cleaning supplies or drilling tools? The new Fisher hardware occupies 8,500 sq. ft. (about half the space of the former store) and caters to the needs of individual homeowners as well as contractors. It not only carries a full range of building and remodeling materials, from nails to garden supplies, but can also custom-order moldings, as well as windows and doors. All eight employees worked at the former store, “so they are very knowledgeable,” said Erik, who worked for 30 years at Fisher Lumber, where he was the president and general manager at the time it closed. He said that while his store prices “are competitive with Home Depot, what we offer is the convenience of not having to drive there.” Erik said that while half of their business is with contractors, he is aggressively going after even small remodeling jobs. “You just have to look up and down the streets in both Santa Monica and the Palisades to know how much remodeling is going on, which is great for us,” Erik said. “In the Highlands where we live some people are replacing their windows and come to us for help. I also just helped my neighbor with a new fence. We do that as well.” The Jorgensborgs, who both worked at Fisher after they finished college (Nancy graduated from PaliHi in ’68; Eric from Loyola in ’67), have two children: Haley, 22, attends the University of Colorado at Boulder; son Christopher, 26, is currently helping out at the store. Contact: 395-0956.