Jordan Beck | Daily Press Anderson Lumber Company co-owner Gerry Anderson, left, and Secretary Jolee Schwartz — who is also Gerry’s cousin — hold up a copy of the Daily Press from 1936 that features an ad for the business. The business was started as a sawmill in Ensign Township in 1908; today, it is a lumber and hardware store in Rapid River.

Editor’s note: The Daily Press features a profile of an area business each week. This week’s featured business is Anderson Lumber Company of Rapid River.

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By Jordan Beck

jbeck@dailypress.net

RAPID RIVER — Gerry Anderson, who co-owns Rapid River lumber and hardware store Anderson Lumber Company with his brother George, said his business has a long history in the area.

“My great-grandfather Stone Anderson … started it in 1908,” Gerry said.

The business was originally a sawmill in Ensign Township.

Anderson Lumber Company’s current location was established in 1873 as a shingle mill. It was purchased by Stone Anderson decades later.

“In 1930, he bought it and we’ve been here ever since,” Gerry said.

Gerry and his brother took over the business after their father died seven years ago.

Today, Anderson Lumber Company is no longer operating as a mill. Instead, it focuses on selling construction materials.

“Pretty much anything you need to construct homes,” Gerry said of his business’ products.

He noted this includes lumber, windows, insulation and roofing materials.

According to Gerry, business at Anderson Lumber Company has been “super” as of late. Along with buying products at the store, he noted people often stop by to see his large collection of antiques and knickknacks.

Items from Gerry’s collection are on display throughout the store. Some of the items featured in the collection are a dinosaur egg, a brick from the collapsed Nahma burner and a replica sarcophagus, among many others.

Gerry’s collection also includes a working model train that has a track mounted to his business’ ceiling.

“I had a lot of ceiling space available — not too much floor space,” he said.

Moving forward, Gerry said he has no plans to make any dramatic changes to Anderson Lumber Company’s business model.

“We’ll just keep going — I still enjoy working,” he said.