Koopman Lumber

Koopman Family

In 1939, Peter Koopman was working as a builder in Whitinsville. As extra building materials accumulated from his projects, they were stored in his garage. Over time, local townspeople began stopping by to purchase or trade for those materials. What started as a simple convenience for others soon became the foundation of a local business.

The hardware side of the operation developed in much the same way. Hardware items were stored in the basement of the Koopman home on Church Street, where Hendrika would answer a bell and help customers—often while raising five children upstairs.

World War II brought significant challenges to the young business. Lumber arriving by freight was frozen by the government and could not be used without special permits, and skilled carpenters were often taken for defense work. Despite these constraints, Peter and Hendrika Koopman continued operating whenever materials and labor were available, maintaining service to local builders and homeowners.

In the early 1940s, Peter formed a partnership with another Dutchman to help establish Whitinsville Hardware as a stand‑alone store on Church Street, located farther up the street from where the business operates today. This marked an important step in formalizing the hardware side of the operation.

Hard times persisted into the following decade. The Korean War nearly drove the business into bankruptcy as material prices rose sharply while existing contracts remained fixed. During this period, Peter’s oldest son, Thomas, entered military service for two years. When the Vietnam War followed, Peter’s youngest son, Robert, was also called to serve once again affecting both the family and the business during an already challenging era.

During the 1960s, the business continued to evolve in response to changing customer needs and operational demands. It was during this decade that the hardware store and lumberyard were consolidated into a single, more efficient operation—improving how customers were served and marking an important transition under the Koopman Lumber name.

During this period, Robert Koopman joined the business and directed the construction side of the operation, supporting contractor‑focused work. Donald Koopman returned to the Blackstone Valley and managed the full‑line home center in Whitinsville, strengthening the retail side of the business as it continued to grow.

In 1973, Koopman Lumber expanded beyond Whitinsville with the acquisition of Center Supply in Uxbridge. This milestone marked the company’s first expansion into a second community and signaled the transition from a single‑location operation to a growing regional presence.

With established locations in Whitinsville and Uxbridge, Koopman Lumber entered the 1980s positioned for its next phase of growth. In 1983, the company opened its third full‑line home center in Grafton, expanding its reach and strengthening its regional presence.

As the company prepared to celebrate its 50th anniversary, Peter Koopman reflected on his family’s success and longevity:

“I’ve lived long enough to know many businesses that go from small to big and then go down again.”

His words captured the resilience and steady approach that had defined Koopman Lumber since its earliest days.

Peter Koopman passed away in 1996 at the age of 88. Beyond building a successful family business, Peter was widely respected for his commitment to hard work, integrity, and community. Known for his willingness to help customers, support local tradespeople, and remain personally involved in the business well into his later years, Peter left behind a legacy rooted in service—to his family, his employees, and the communities Koopman Lumber has long called home.

In 2002, Koopman Lumber celebrated the grand re‑opening of its Grafton location following significant redevelopment of the site. Building the store ground‑up marked an important modernization effort, with better layouts, expanded product offerings, and the addition of a drive‑thru designed to improve speed and convenience for customers. The investment supported both contractors and homeowners while positioning the business for long‑term growth.

As the business continued to grow, Koopman Lumber invested in expanded distribution capabilities to better support its stores and contractor customers. The development of a distribution center in Uxbridge enabled centralized inventory, improved logistics, and consolidated deliveries across locations—laying critical groundwork for future expansion.

In 2013, Koopman Lumber expanded beyond the Blackstone Valley with the opening of its Sharon, Massachusetts location. As the company’s first store outside its historic home region, the Sharon location marked an important milestone in Koopman Lumber’s growth strategy.

Located in a more centralized part of the state, the Sharon store was created through the renovation of a former car dealership and served as a key learning experience for expanding into new markets. The project helped establish a scalable model for future locations while extending Koopman Lumber’s family‑owned values, contractor expertise, and customer‑focused approach to a broader customer base.

Between 2011 and 2024, Koopman Lumber expanded its footprint across Massachusetts through a combination of new locations and acquisitions.

In 2011, the company opened a paint store in Milford, extending its presence further into the Blackstone Valley and increasing accessibility in a more densely populated area to better serve painters.

Beginning in the mid‑2010s, Koopman Lumber entered a new period of growth through acquisitions, including Lampson Lumber in Hudson in 2015, Doyle Lumber in Andover in 2018—establishing the company’s northernmost location—and Fairhaven Lumber in 2021, further supporting regional expansion to the South Coast.

Koopman Lumber continued expanding west in 2022 with the acquisition of A. Boilard & Sons in Springfield’s Indian Orchard neighborhood. In 2023, the company opened a location in Dennis on Cape Cod, redeveloping a former antique store on the site of a historic lumber yard and reintroducing a full‑service lumber operation to the area.

In 2024, Koopman Lumber acquired Sampson Lumber in Pembroke, establishing a presence on the South Shore and improving service into Cape Cod. The location was subsequently renovated, with upgrades to the lumberyard and warehouse and the addition of a second‑floor window, door, and kitchen and bath showroom.

In January 2023, Koopman Lumber Company was named LBM Journal’s Dealer of the Year, an industry honor recognizing the company’s performance, leadership, and long‑standing commitment to its customers, employees, and communities.

In 2024, Koopman Lumber celebrated its 85th anniversary with its first large‑scale company and community celebration. The milestone brought together three generations of the Koopman family, with members of the fifth generation in attendance, marking a powerful moment in the company’s history.

The celebration honored not only 85 years of business, but the people – family members, employees, customers, and communities, who have carried the Koopman Lumber legacy forward across generations.

In 2025, Koopman Lumber expanded beyond Massachusetts into Connecticut through the acquisition of Lyon & Billard, a family‑owned building materials supplier with more than 180 years of history in the state. The acquisition marked Koopman Lumber’s first out‑of‑state and first multi‑location acquisition, adding four established Connecticut locations in Berlin, Cheshire, Meriden, and East Hampton. The expansion extended the Koopman Lumber footprint into central Connecticut while continuing the company’s disciplined, values‑driven approach to growth.