Exciting Changes Ahead

Greetings Customers & Friends,

Happy 4^th of July to you all. I hope you have a safe, restful, and enjoyable holiday weekend.

Business at Parkerville changes a bit during the summer months. Although contractors are busy getting exterior work done, many of our regular customers do less woodworking in the summer. Understandably, the kids are out of school, folks travel and garden, ride bikes and hike, and spend more time outdoors. That doesn’t mean that there is less to do at the shop. To the contrary.

Many of you know that a little over three years ago a partnership was formed to manage and grow Parkerville. Since then, some exciting progress has been made. In 2023, we purchased a 7500-sf building at 49 Brainard Place in Manchester, CT. Due primarily to zoning restrictions, we cannot conduct manufacturing activities there, but we store premium inventory and some equipment that will be utilized in our expansion there. We open the building a few times a year on Saturdays to the public to sell material.

In more recent news, we were just able to acquire our main 20,000-sf facility and 4 acers of land at 580 Parker St. in Manchester, CT, where we have been located for nearly 20 years. We have retained the services of an architect who is developing options for improvement and expansion. It’s a challenging site. One side of the property is shared with the railroad, and this section will soon be transformed into a bike path that will connect the Hop River State Park Trail and the Cheney Rail Trail. In the rear of the property runs the Lydall Brook, which means we must deal with wetlands and flood zones in our planning. A big focus will be better amenities for our staff, our most valuable asset. We’re excited to get started, but understand what we must go through during renovations. We’ll undoubtedly have some challenges. Please be patient with us when the time comes.

We’ve had a very busy year so far in our architectural millwork division that has required our crew to work significant overtime. We have recently caught up and are back to a somewhat normal schedule. Current sizable projects in progress include millwork at Bradley International Airport, Synchrony Bank in Stamford, MIT Lincoln Labs, Amherst College Arms Music Center, and UMASS Memorial Radiology. We have some other interesting projects coming up later this year.

We’re also planning to have a “women in woodworking” event that we are in the early stages of planning. Contact us if you have any interest. We will also be at the Manchester Chamber of Commerce Business Expo at Wickham Park on July 24, from 4-7 pm. Hope to see you there. As you know, we’re here to assist in your projects, even in the planning stages. Don’t hesitate to take advantage of these complimentary services we offer.

Have a great summer.

Hope to see you at the shop,

Sincerely,

David Harris, President

Parkerville Wood Products, Inc.