Scarborough Lumber
Scarborough Lumber is a family-owned Ace Hardware franchisee and lumber retailer operating 11 stores across California, serving individual consumers and small businesses with hardware, lumber, garden supplies, and value-added services since 1957.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1957
- HeadquartersScotts Valley, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Scarborough Lumber does
Scarborough Lumber is a privately held, family-owned retailer operating 11 physical store locations across California as an Ace Hardware franchisee. Founded in 1957 by Gene Scarborough, a WWII POW veteran originally from Mississippi, the company has remained under family ownership for four generations, with eight family members currently involved in operations. The store footprint spans Scotts Valley, Felton, Ben Lomond, Boulder Creek, Carmel, Carmel Valley, Kings Beach (North Lake Tahoe), and Fort Jones, with each location operating under local branding such as Scarborough Lumber & Building Supply, Scarborough Gardens, Scarborough Home Center, and individual Ace Hardware banners. The most recent addition, Felton Ace Hardware, opened as a soft launch in 2025.
The company's core offering is a diversified retail mix organized around three pillars: general Ace Hardware retail (paint, tools, hardware, housewares, automotive, lawn and garden), dedicated lumber and building supply yards with delivery, and a garden center with gift shop. It carries premium third-party brands including Benjamin Moore, STIHL, Weber, Yeti, Milwaukee, DeWalt, Carhartt, Napoleon Grills, and Red Wing Boots. Value-added services include paint matching, key cutting, re-screening, propane exchange and refill, STIHL warranty repair, lumber delivery, and fishing/hunting license sales. The business also operates charge accounts for qualifying commercial customers with regular monthly purchases.
Revenue is derived almost entirely from in-store retail sales across the 11 locations and from B2B charge accounts. There is no disclosed e-commerce channel for direct sales; the Shopify-powered website functions primarily as a brand and location/brand showcase. The company markets itself through Instagram and Facebook, community donations, and word-of-mouth. There is no public ticker, no external funding, and no parent company. The operator is privately held under continuous family ownership with no disclosed ownership changes or capital events.
Scarborough Lumber firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Scarborough Lumber
- Legal name
- Scarborough Lumber
- Website
- https://scarboroughlumber.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1957
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Scarborough Lumber is a family-owned Ace Hardware franchisee and lumber retailer operating 11 stores across California, serving individual consumers and small businesses with hardware, lumber, garden supplies, and value-added services since 1957.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Scarborough Lumber industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Retail Hardware & Building Materials
- NAICS
- Building Material and Garden Equipment and Supplies Dealers (444), Outdoor Power Equipment Retailers (444230)
- SIC
- Retail-Building Materials, Hardware, Garden Supply (5200), Retail-Lumber & Other Building Materials Dealers (5211)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Lumber & Timber Retail (Dimensional Lumber, Plywood, OSB) (CRAIAEAA)
Keywords
Where Scarborough Lumber is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Scotts Valley
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices11 records
Markets served
Scarborough Lumber business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Retail Sales: Revenue generated from direct retail sales of hardware, lumber, building supplies, paint, tools, outdoor equipment, home goods, and related products to individual consumers and businesses through 11 physical store locations.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels2 records
Scarborough Lumber product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Scarborough Lumber is a family-owned Ace Hardware franchisee operating 11 retail locations across California that sells paint, tools, hardware, lumber, building supplies, garden products, outdoor power equipment, and home goods. The company complements its merchandise with in-store services including paint matching, key cutting, re-screening, propane exchange/refill, STIHL warranty repair, and lumber delivery. It also offers business charge accounts for qualifying regular commercial customers.
Product overview
Scarborough Lumber is a family-owned retail lumberyard and Ace Hardware franchise operating 11 stores across California communities including Scotts Valley, Felton, Ben Lomond, Boulder Creek, Carmel, Carmel Valley, North Lake Tahoe, and Fort Jones. The company offers a diversified portfolio organized around three core offerings: Ace Hardware retail stores selling paint, tools, hardware, housewares, lawn and garden, automotive, and outdoor power equipment; dedicated lumber and building supply yards with delivery services; and a garden center with gift shop. Supported by an array of value-added services including paint matching, key cutting, rescreening, propane exchange, and STIHL warranty repair, the company differentiates through localized product assortments at each location. Notable branded product lines carried include STIHL outdoor power equipment, Red Wing work boots, Napoleon Grills, CARHARTT workwear, and ALOHA Bags, alongside Ace Hardware's broader brand portfolio. The company also offers business charge accounts and gift cards as financial/loyalty products.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Scarborough Ace Hardware Stores Eleven Ace Hardware franchise retail locations offering paint, tools, hardware, housewares, lawn and garden supplies, automotive parts, and outdoor power equipment to individual consumers across California communities.
- Scarborough Lumber & Building Supply Full-service lumber yards providing lumber and building materials for construction and renovation projects, with delivery services available. Locations in Boulder Creek, Ben Lomond, and Scotts Valley.
- Scarborough Gardens Garden center specializing in plants, outdoor living products, and garden supplies, with a gift shop offering specialty items such as ALOHA splash-proof bags.
- Paint Matching & Staining Services In-store paint and stain color matching service carrying Benjamin Moore, Cabot, and other premium brands, with sample sizes available for color testing.
- Key Cutting Services Automotive and residential key duplication service for original keys, excluding keys stamped 'DO NOT DUPLICATE' for security reasons.
- Re-screening Services Window and door screen replacement service at the Scotts Valley location, with a 2-4 day turnaround for most screen repairs.
- Propane Filling & Exchange Services Propane tank exchange at most store locations including an eco-friendly Little Camper exchange program. Portable tank filling available at Boulder Creek and Scotts Valley locations only.
- STIHL Warranty & Repair Services Authorized STIHL dealer offering warranty repair service for STIHL outdoor power equipment, available at Boulder Creek, Ben Lomond, Scotts Valley (Kings Village & El Pueblo), and Carmel locations.
- Business Charge Accounts Credit terms for qualifying businesses with regular, multiple monthly purchases. Individual non-business customers can request a credit card on file through the accounting department.
- Ace Hardware Gift Cards Gift cards available for purchase for use across all Scarborough Ace Hardware locations.
Companies that use Scarborough Lumber
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Scarborough Lumber technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Scarborough Lumber partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Ace HardwarecoreScarborough Lumber operates as an Ace Hardware franchisee. The partnership provides national brand recognition, marketing support, access to Ace product lines, and cooperative advertising programs while maintaining local family ownership and operations.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights8 records
Scarborough Lumber competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- McLendon Hardware: Multi-store independent hardware and lumber retailer in the Pacific Northwest. Directly comparable as a regional multi-store hardware operator offering lumber, paint, tools, and outdoor power equipment.
- Westlake Ace Hardware: Multi-store Ace Hardware franchisee operating numerous locations. Directly comparable as a regional, family-style Ace operator that has scaled the same franchise model Scarborough uses.
- Aubuchon Hardware: Long-running family-owned multi-store hardware retailer operating across the Northeast. Directly comparable as a multi-generational, multi-store independent hardware chain with a similar lumber/hardware/paint mix.
Broad incumbents
- Ace Hardware Corporation: National hardware cooperative/franchisor that provides the brand, supply chain, and co-op marketing that Scarborough operates under. Comparable as the umbrella for the franchise model Scarborough uses across its 11 stores.
- Lowe's: National big-box home improvement retailer with overlapping categories (lumber, paint, tools, garden). Sets competitive pricing and assortment benchmarks for regional independents like Scarborough.
- Home Depot: National big-box home improvement retailer that competes directly with Scarborough on lumber, hardware, paint, and outdoor power equipment across its California footprint.
- True Value Company: Hardware cooperative/franchisor serving independent retailers. Competes with Ace for the same independent dealer base and represents an alternative affiliation model for multi-store hardware operators.
- Do it Best: Hardware cooperative serving independent retailers with similar buying-group economics to Ace. Comparable as an alternative franchise/co-op umbrella for multi-store hardware operators.
Others
- Orgill: Hardlines distributor serving independent hardware retailers. Comparable as an upstream ecosystem participant supplying many of the same independent hardware stores that compete with Scarborough.
Regional players
- Strosnider's Hardware: Independent, family-oriented hardware and lumber retailer based in Virginia. Comparable as a long-running independent hardware/lumber operator with a similar community-anchored, services-driven model, though serving a different geography.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Scarborough Lumber social profiles
Digital presenceScarborough Lumber financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Scarborough Lumber leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Scarborough Lumber funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Scarborough Lumber M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Scarborough Lumber
What does Scarborough Lumber do?
Scarborough Lumber is a family-owned Ace Hardware franchisee operating 11 retail locations across California that sells paint, tools, hardware, lumber, building supplies, garden products, outdoor power equipment, and home goods. The company complements its merchandise with in-store services including paint matching, key cutting, re-screening, propane exchange/refill, STIHL warranty repair, and lumber delivery. It also offers business charge accounts for qualifying regular commercial customers.
Is Scarborough Lumber a public or private company?
Scarborough Lumber is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Scarborough Lumber founded?
Scarborough Lumber was founded in 1957. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Scarborough Lumber based?
Scarborough Lumber is headquartered in Scotts Valley, United States, in the North America region.
How does Scarborough Lumber make money?
One revenue line is on record: retail Sales.
Who are Scarborough Lumber's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are McLendon Hardware, Westlake Ace Hardware and Aubuchon Hardware. Broad incumbents are Ace Hardware Corporation, Lowe's, Home Depot, True Value Company and Do it Best. Orgill is listed as an others. Strosnider's Hardware is listed as a regional player.
Does Scarborough Lumber have an API?
No public API is recorded for Scarborough Lumber.
What industry is Scarborough Lumber in?
Scarborough Lumber's product category is Retail Hardware & Building Materials. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRAIAEAA, Lumber & Timber Retail (Dimensional Lumber, Plywood, OSB). Its NAICS code is 444 and its SIC code is 5200.