Austin's Hardwoods & Hardware

WOW! thats really all i can say right now. thanks for the post!

Allison,

I just ‘Googled’ their name, and their site is currently under construction. It will probably be an impressive site, once finished. Other Google hits were reviews of this place that I will read shortly.

Thanks for this post.

-- Earle Wright, Lenoir City, Tennessee

Austin’s is a great place. The only thing that I bought there so far is some Honduras Mahogany for my carving class last year but, it has become my “candy store”.

-- Jack - Mission Viejo, Calif

I have lived near there all my life and I have never heard of this place. I will have to check it out next time I’m there. What are their wood prices like?

-- Gary, East TX -- The longest journey begins with a single step.

Thanks Allison—-I grew up in Irvine—-15 minutes from there…next time I am down to see Mickey Mouse and Grandma I will be visiting!!!

-- Matt, Napa, CA...142 days to sanity...

Sounds like a ticket to bankruptcy court to me.

-- Maplewood, MN

Hi Allison,

How did you get out of there? If I had wandered into there I don’t think that I would have been able to leave the store.

-- With God's help all things are possible- even woodworking. Woodworking is not just a hobby, it is an (expletive deleted) expensive hobby.

Oh, OK i’ll try to get there Monday morning. Nice story … and you tell it so well.

-- Odie, Confucius say, "He who laughs at one's self is BUTT of joke".

Have to agree with rikkor on this one

-- Mark from Deer Park, Texas

To you all, I agree with the bankruptcy deal.This the kind of store you hit when you win the lottery! LOL!!! GaryK asked what the prices were like there. Well I have nothing to compare it to,other than mail order catalogs . It’s not like I hung around the pine aisle. LOL!!! (No offense to pine, I am surrounded by it) All I can say is , for the product you are receiving I believe it is more than reasonable! PEACE!!!

-- Allison, Northeastern Ca. Remember, Amateurs built the Ark. Professionals built the Titanic!

Allison, I’m glad another LJ found where I get most of my stuff. I live just about a 1/2 mile from the place. For a little history about Austin Hw they began in Santa Ana on Fifth street in an old building where there once was another lumber yard called Golden City Lumber but thats talking about the 1970’s. Austin then moved to a place on south Main Street and they quickly out grew that place. It took me a while to figure out that one does not need a contractors licence to get their discount. I had been going there for a while and I always paid cash until I asked what was needed to get the better price and I found out that any woodworker that is in business can be put on their computer and your in. They told me the dicount is for the benefit of struggling woodworkers. I think the discount applies to lumber, plywood and hardware because I’ve noticed not every thing is discounted.

-- bobdurnell, Santa Ana California.

Bob – Could you give some examples of their prices?

-- Gary, East TX -- The longest journey begins with a single step.

I saw it, I saw it and it’s real.

-- Odie, Confucius say, "He who laughs at one's self is BUTT of joke".

GaryK, I sure can. Just went out and checked some recent reciepts. These prices are without tax and some are with the woodworkers discount. 4/4 white oak was $3.55 bd ft, 4/4 walnut shorts were $4.20 bd ft, 60in x60inx 1/2in baltic birch is $33.57 a sheet, and 3/4in walnut A1 plywood was $75.20 a sheet. I hope this gives you an idea of their prices.

-- bobdurnell, Santa Ana California.

I went to Austin hardwood today to verify the information I gave regarding its history. I talked to Kevin who has been working there since day one. I was wrong about them being at the Golden City Lumber location. Austin hardwood was across the street. I like to get the facts straight.

-- bobdurnell, Santa Ana California.

Thanks for the post, Allison. I lived in Cerritos for ten years, and traveled to Santa Ana once or twice a week in my job. I had never heard of Austin until a couple of years ago, but I also wasn’t a woodworker then. I have a friend who shops there regularly; he’s my source for great Mexican walnut burl material. I knew the store was great, but your post blew me away!

-- dickvn,Virginia,vannierop@urgrad.rochester.edu

To bobdurnell,
I sure do appreciate this. Ya know I am the same way ,whatever day I posted this I called down south just to make sure it was alright for me to do this. They had said fine the day they let me take the pictures but things change and I had took these pictures in July of last year 07,Anyway I spoke with Brian and he was sooo nice to me. I explained everything but I told him that I had forgot to ask about the giraffes and what kind of tree they were from. It was with that question that I learned from this nice man about the Indian tribe and Africa and everything!!! He even said to me as we were getting ready to hang up that he would love to see the article! This threw me and i mumbled something. I found that to be a true salesperson and one who knows his stuff. He even made sure I spelled the tribe and tree correctly. I just can never say enough good about this place. Ya know they just have great P.R. and that happens to be very important to me. So next time you go in there, if you would and if you know who Brian is maybe you can explain Lumberjocks to him and let him know the girl he talked to and let him know about the great response. I am sure he would be interested. I am just too embarrassed. I am pretty sure I said when I hung up my name was Allison, besides I doubt if he had a conversation such as ours with anyone else recently. Hell maybe he would turn his customers on to L.J.’s Any way thank you. P.S. I am jealous of the weather you are having! PEACE!!! To dickvn, Thanks for the comment on my post!

-- Allison, Northeastern Ca. Remember, Amateurs built the Ark. Professionals built the Titanic!

Hi Allison, I went to Austin HW today and I visited with Brian. At first he didn’t remember but then he remembered A lady and a man interested in the big giraffes and I said that must be her. I told him about LJ and he said he would check you and me out tonight. I told him all of the projects I have posted were made with Austin materials. Brian said he talks to a lot of people on the phone so maybe the resent phone call from you didn’t ring a bell. P.S. we had a tiny bit of rain, didn’t even show in my rain gauge.

-- bobdurnell, Santa Ana California.

Thanks for the info on prices Bob. That’s what I was looking for,

-- Gary, East TX -- The longest journey begins with a single step.

GaryK, your very welcome. If you have a specific item or whatever that you’d like to check don’t hesitate to call. By the way there were a lot of workshops posted lately and I’m glad you mentioned that we love to see the shops and sometimes a picture is worth a 1000 words, Ha!

-- bobdurnell, Santa Ana California.

I just couldn’t resist commenting, event though I am just a lurker.

I don’t know how I ended up reading this material other than to say that a contact on Routerforums suggested I have a look at Lumberjock. I signed up and was reviewing the “comments” I received subsequent to doing so. and stumbled on to this.

Allison, as a resident of Red Bluff, I don’t think of Westwood as being Northeastern Ca. Canby or Alturas maybe, but not Westwood. My wife and I have spent several very pleasant hours at the “Home Ranch” just east of Mountain Meadows reservoir as guests of the family that summer ranges cattle there.

What prompted me to comment is that We are also transplants from Orange County, Westminster, in fact,(late 1979, early 1980) and I never heard of Austin’s.

Having been in the Missile Business at NWS Seal Beach for several years and after Night time Law school, with a couple of employments in beteen, We came to Red Bluff where I became Chief Civil Legal Advisor to the County of Tehama. I retired in Dec 1973, As County Counsel.

Small world, isn’t it?

-- Nelson

That retirement was in 2003, not 1973.

-- Nelson