About Us

History of BLDRS

Our history in the lumber business goes back to 1912 and the original location of The Southern Colorado Lumber Company at 322 Nevada Avenue in Trinidad. The community was growing during this time period, not only as a stop along the historic Sante Fe Trail, but also with the thriving coal mining industry. This location continuously served the bustling Trinidad community as a lumberyard with The Union Lumber Company, Cash and Carry Lumber Company and, eventually, Trinidad Builders Supply when it was purchased in 1964 by Ed and Joan Sandlin, and Joan’s father, Carmen Allen. The business grew at this location on Nevada Avenue and was sold in 1984 so that this highly visible Interstate property could be the new home for McDonalds and Taco Bell fast food businesses.

The lumberyard was moved to its present location at 108 West Colorado Avenue into a remodeled building previously used as the local Safeway store. This new location allowed for the expansion of the business into more interior retail space for hardware, plumbing, and electrical products.Prior to Ed’s retirement in 1994, the business was purchased by his son, Scott, who managed the business for the next 24 years. In early 2017, Scott’s sister, Karen and husband Cal, purchased the business and retained Scott as General Manager of the new corporation.

According to Scott, “We have exciting plans for adding an additional 4,500 square feet of retail space, re-facing the front facades and improving the efficiency of the yard for the near future. An increase in construction activity in both the residential and commercial arenas have improved our retail sales substantially. Our business is seeing double digit growth over the previous year so the outlook for both our business and the entire Trinidad community is excellent.” Karen adds “We believe our Dad would be very proud of where the business is today! He was a firm believer in our community and he upheld very high standards in business. We want to continue his legacy by implementing new ideas for the business and providing new products for our customers.”