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Over a century ago, the little house on the prairie once sat in Walnut Grove where horse-drawn carriages rolled through well-traveled streets, where strangers were few and friends many, and where local merchants were honest, dependable, and caring.
Although Walnut Grove may have been an imaginary town, its spirit still lives today. Nestled in the countryside of New Haven is the town's own Walnut Grove-Brueggemann's Lumber and Builders Supply Co., Inc., where time has carved a niche in the community for this company. Where horse and buggy are as common as the cars that pass, since about 60 percent of its walk-in business is Amish. And where the welcome is always warm. At Brueggemann's, customers shed their coats outside and enter as friends. What they find on the inside is this merchant really does care.
For Rick Wolf, owner of Brueggemann's since 1983, that quality separates Brueggemann's from other lumber yards. "These chains lose touch with what's needed on a local level, and we feel that's our strength," Wolf says. In fact, Brueggemann's has been in touch with the community since it first opened its doors in the late 1800s as a dry goods and general store.
In 1922, Adolf Brueggemann bought the store, changed its name, and 24 years later, expanded the store into a lumber company. The general store, which in 1924 sent a huxter wagon and Model-T across parts of Indiana, Michigan and Ohio to deliver goods, gradually grew into its surroundings. As Wolf adds, "We've made a niche just by being out here in the middle of nowhere."
SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE
Brueggemann's is a full-service lumber yard that carries a complete line of hardware, building materials and lumber, and it services do-it-yourselfers, remodelers and contractors. Because its location does not allow it to compete with other lumber yards, Brueggemann's must carry a higher grade of lumber as opposed to the economy grades. Therefore, prices may be slightly higher than other places. However, Brueggemann's offers a wider selection of materials than other merchants, and Wolf is quick to point out that "We're proud of what we carry and we use it ourselves."
So, instead of competing in price with the national chains, Brueggemann's has dedicated itself to product knowledge and service....