Kristin Pope
Staff Writer

No orange aprons, big warehouses or catchy slogans here.

In a world of big box home improvement stores, Fitch Lumber Company, a no-frills, family-owned building supply store and one of Carrboro’s original businesses, stands out from the crowd.

Fitch Lumber Company, which has been in Carrboro since 1923, is the kind of place where customers say hi to each other in passing. It is a place where a dog begs for a treat from the store’s supply of dog biscuits, family portraits hang on the walls and the guys behind the counter greet shoppers with a smile and a sense of familiarity. It’s the building-supply version of Cheers, a place where everybody knows your name - a place where the employees can recommend the best hardware and best local bar as well.

In a locally-owned town like Carrboro, the small-town community feel makes Fitch Lumber fit in perfectly.

But Fitch Lumber is not just a modern attempt to capitalize on Carrboro’s affinity for local shopping. Though the town is full of privately owned businesses, Fitch has been around longer than most, except for the old mill and the railroad.

Mac Fitch, the current owner of the company and the third generation of his family to own the business, has been at the store since he graduated from college in 1971.

He started working at Fitch around the early age of 10 or 11, “Just messing around,” he said. Born and raised in Chapel Hill, Mac said he always knew he wanted to return to the business after graduating from college.

Fitch Lumber was started in 1898 when A.B. Fitch, Mac’s grandfather, moved to Mebane and worked for a lumber company there. He bought the company in 1907, and the company operated as Fitch-Riggs Lumber until 1923 when he bought Riggs’ share of the company.

Fitch opened its Carrboro branch, a “delivery station” on the old rail lines, in 1923 to serve the University and mill needs. Mac’s father and uncle ran the Carrboro store at the time.

“I think they made cross ties for the railroad here,” Mac said. “It was just a very small town.”

In 1945, the Mebane store burned down. Fitch re-built the business in Carrboro because he saw the area’s potential for growth.

“We’ve been here since,” Mac said.

The majority of Fitch’s business is with contractors, Mac said. He explained they do not deal with tract dealers (builders of subdivisions with uniform houses) so most of their work is with custom home builders.

Fitch Lumber worked with a side business started by Mac’s cousin in 1986 to build in the Fearrington and Polk’s Landing area of northern Chatham County. The company built its Carrboro building on North Greensboro Street in 1970.

Mac said Fitch has a lot of regulars, and the service is what keeps people coming back. “Our company has always been based on service,” he said. “Our customers really appreciate our people and our service.”

Mac said they also see a lot of new faces. They’ve heard by word of mouth that “Fitch can get it for you, no problem.”

One reason for Fitch’s first-rate service is that the company does not have the high employee turnover companies like Lowe’s and Home Depot have, Mac said.

“We’ve got guys that have been here for 30 years,” he said.

Marc Atkins has been working at Fitch Lumber for 15 years, which makes him a “relative newcomer around Fitch”, he said with a laugh. His co-worker, Michael, will have been working with the company 31 years this week.

Atkins said he enjoys working at Fitch Lumber because he loves the people—the customers, employees and the Fitch family—and the sense of camaraderie at the company. They know their customers by name and offer high-quality service, he said.

Though the majority of their customers are contractors, many of the local residents from downtown Carrboro come into the store, Atkins said.

They even keep a container of dog biscuits behind the counter to serve their canine clientele.

“We’re pet friendly,” Atkins said, pulling the stash of dog treats out from underneath the register.

Camaraderie extends beyond just lumber. College rivalry is a common topic of conversation in the store, Atkins said, lifting up a pant leg to proudly display a UNC symbol tattooed on his ankle.

He added that he meets people with common musical interests, and has built friendships with people who he met in the store.

Mac has two sons working at the store now, and says he expects they will keep the business in the family. He said he likes working in a family-owned atmosphere.

“It’s nice being your own boss,” Mac said. “You can make your own decisions, and you can make your own screw-ups.”

Being family owned allows Fitch to offer better service by being able to efficiently respond to situations that need quick answers, whereas places like Home Depot have to call into the corporate office, Mac explained.

Carrboro’s loyalty to small business and emphasis on shopping locally has proved to be a welcome environment for a place like Fitch, Atkins said.

Atkins said people who are new to Carrboro were drawn to the town because of its small-town community mixed with cultural diversity, which makes it a good place for a company with that same sense of community.

“It’s survived from its days of being of a mill town to become a community in its own right,” he said.

“Carrboro is a unique town, no doubt,” Mac said. “It has its own personality.”

Mac added that as Carrboro has changed, Fitch Lumber has managed to find its niche in the town, something that is always a challenge for small business.

One way it has done that is by giving back to the community. Mac donates a lot of supplies and money to charity, Atkins said.

One of the company’s most recent projects offered people kindling for coats, Atkins said. Fitch collected 39 coats for charity by offering kindling to people who brought coats to the store.

“We’re a big part of the community,” Atkins said.

Next time: The Commons goes to Friendly Barber Shop, another historic Carrboro business.

 Fitch Lumber a part of Carrboro's history [5:17m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download