By Will Cowart
Starting The Lumber District was my solution to a problem that existed among Durham woodworkers. We had to travel 45 minutes to the nearest lumber yard, and if they didn't have what you needed, you were in for an even further drive in the opposite direction. This happened one too many times, which pushed this idea into a reality.
I set out to create a lumber yard that had all the elements required to help us run a custom woodworking shop. I wanted to incorporate ideas that I saw in the lumber yards I grew up going to in Illinois while making sure to meet the needs of the furniture makers, cabinet makers and DIY enthusiasts in the area. At WKC Woodworks, we make cabinets, architectural millwork and furniture for both commercial and residential environments. Our need for quality lumber and supplies is pretty high and we were struggling to find what we needed in our area. Early on, when we needed the good stuff, we sourced from Irion Lumber Company in Pennsylvania. I developed a relationship with their yard manager, Myron, so when the time came to start sourcing lumber, it was a no-brainer. Irion Lumber Company has the best lumber I’ve ever worked with and we’re very proud to be able to keep our racks stocked with their product. 
We found that our projects went a lot smoother when we started with quality material. Sounds like a simple concept, but gone were the days of buying way more lumber than needed only to cull boards that were twisted, bowed, checked or had knots in all the wrong places. We were saving money on material and time spent culling lumber, win-win in my book!
Once I got the lumber sourcing dialed in, I wanted to start carrying the products that we used in our own projects, things we already knew worked well. We started with Osmo finishes, shellac flakes and ⅙ sheet sanding blocks made by our very own Chris Black. We then expanded into Fast Cap and Lee Valley products that were impossible to find locally. We recently partnered with CMT Orange Tools to carry their line of saw blades, Forstner bits and router bits, and we’re looking forward to bringing in even more products in 2027!
Earlier this year, Chris and I started teaching introductory woodworking courses. The idea was to help people wade through the massive amount of information on the internet and get to the fun part. These early classes went well and we decided to start building out a curriculum to accommodate the interest. By this point, I was getting spread pretty thin and knew I needed some help. I met Avery Pate on a job site and we quickly got to talking about woodworking. I mentioned we were looking for help, and it turned out they had years of experience not only in woodworking, but also in teaching it. They’ve been a great addition to our leadership team.
The Lumber District has operated out of a 1,000 square foot warehouse bay for about a year and a half. If you’ve visited, you know that we have every square inch of that place filled. It proved to be a great way to start the business small and grow as we needed. We’re proud to announce that, starting in November, we’ll be moving next door into a 2,800 square foot space! This will allow us to carry more lumber and plywood as well as bring in some amazing new products. We’re also going to build out our class shop in the same space to keep everything under one roof.
Chris, Soraya, Avery, Reed and I want to thank everyone who has supported us and continue to remind us why we're doing this! 