The Lumber M erchant is the Best Paint M erchant

Bv JACK DIONNE

I have mentioned the sale of paint at variour timec in the firrt two irsues of thir journal.

Perhapr I rhould have explained my attitude on thir rubject in the firct irsue, because of the fact that in THIS terri. tory, lumber dealerr are not paint merchants to anything like the degree that the retail lumbermen to whom I have been accurtomed to talking, are.

Many yearl ago I began preaching building SERVICE, selling IDEAS, relling BUILDINGS and their FUNCTIONS rathcr than boardr and shingles. At that time very few lumber dealers in the territory I war trying to rerwe, were paint dealers. And almost NONE were paint MERCHANTS. Those who handled paint, generally carried it on murgr rhelvec as an rm-purhed and unappreciated ride-line.

But my conception was that to rell building material ac the rhape of building THINGS and building NEEDS, P^AINT muct be ured, becaure when the conrumer thinkc BUILDINGS, or building ADDITIONS, he thinkr of them ATTRACTMLY PAINTED. No doubt about that, ir there?

Then to eelt building functions cuccesafully, the luntber dealer rhould eell the paint to go with the material, to cover it, to beautify it, to protect it. If he sells a man a barn plan, he cells him a PAINTED barn plan; if a porch, it'c a PAINTED porch, every time, that makes the appeal.

So the lumber dealer ir the bert possible paint merchant becauce hic businesr ir relling the rtufi that paint is made to coyer, protect, and beautify. So why rhouldntt he sell both? Who could be in better poeition? Who has a better right?

And besider, he is in buriners for profit, and there is fine return on the paint investment.

The greatest living authority on paint caid to me not a month ago: "There ic no doubt on earth that the live lumber merchant is the best possible paint merchant.tt I have heard the same thing from many paint men.

So for many years I have been talking ..PAINT" right along with lumber, because they work together like the lega en g 3tq6l-helping one another. At firrt the paint men took no interest in my paint efrortr. They didn't think much of the lumber dealer as a paint dealer, becaure, ar trhey told me frankly, the lumber dealer "Isn't a nrcrchant and we want our paint merchandired-not just stocked.tt

But things have changed mightily. Th€ lumber dealer HAS become a merrchant. And in juatice to the paint folks am glad to say that in THE GULF COAST LUMBERMAN

I have enjoyed rplendid co-operation from the peint producerr; more than any other reveral lumber journab conbined, and thourands of my retail lumbcr friendr ane Dow enthuriastic paint merchantr.

And in THE CALIFORNIA LUMBER MERCHANT wc are going to talk PAINT just the same way. The lurnbcr dealer-the rmall town dealer particularly-who docrn't carr5r and merchandise paint, har mised a big bet. And our busine$ ir soing to be to try and keep the dealcr from loeing valuable burinerc.

We will relate what lumber dealere have done and arc doing to make mone!-and hetp thcir tradFby re[ing ,paint. (Read "Why Thompron Yarde ScIIr Paint" h thir isue, by the raler lnsirger of that concern.)

The thing that maker paint a great lumber ride-line b thc teamwork of the two materialc. When the dealer fmdr lumber hard to rell "a! i!r" he jurt dresree it up with a plan and ronre paint, aid-pysste! it relts itself.

There'r no doubt about it. lf there'r one tfiing on earth more infectiour and contagiour than the Bubonic plaguc, it'c the PAINT fever on the part of the hourewife-and bcr hubby too.

Why, Mr. Lumber Dealer, every BI.LSSED HOUSI;WIFE IN YOUR SALES TERRITORY ISi A PAINT PRO$ PECT NOW. Every blersed one.

There'c no ulc talking; during the runny !€aron evciy hourewife is filled with a derire to grab a brurh and paint sornething. Ittr the nature of tlie home loving wonan to want to paint thingc at thil time of the year. Thc porch furniture, the fower boxer, the fence, the back porr\ ttc Iawn swing; everything, in fact, that ir looking dingy.

Tie up with thir derire. You know the old raw: "A board and a nail and a can of paint, Make many a place look new that fi't."

YOU furnish the board. Why not the can of paint? Why not the nail? Why not the "ney/' idea? If you, rcll thc IDEA, she'll buy the board, and the paint, and the brub and the nail, and a harnmer to drive it with.

Sell one paint job in each neighborhood, and you havc everyone in the neighborhood THINKING PAINT.

Yer, rir! Paint belongr to the lumber dealer, and if hc doesntt rcll it he'r refuring good money. You can rell pabt jobs when you can't even start a houre bill, and it furnirhcl something to keep you eternally bury, renring your territory, and selling something at a profit.