A informal history of Nielson’s Building Center

Mom and Dad (Ron and Bev Nielson) moved to Point Roberts in 1963 from Vancouver, B.C. Ron had worked at the Rayonier Sawmill in Marpole, just as his father did for 40 years, while Bev was busy raising three young kids. Both had an entrepreneurial spirit and knew they wanted to go out on their own. They spent a year looking at possible businesses to buy in the Fraser Valley, including a gas station in Hope, and on Vancouver Island.

A few years earlier they had built a cabin in Point Roberts to spend their summers and the opportunity arose to buy the “Country Store” on Tyee Drive. With a very generous agreement and full support from Laugi and Ella Thorstenson, they decided to move the family into their little cabin on Regina Way and start Nielson Lumber & Supply. Mom and Dad saved about six months wages in case the lumber yard didn’t survive.

We three kids had to move from the comfort of our own rooms in Vancouver to share one 8 x 10-foot room with a triple bunk bed. Being the youngest, I had to sleep on the top bed with only inches to the ceiling to spare. When my sister below felt the urge, she would kick the mattress and I would slam into the ceiling. My response was to wet my bed which would eventually drip down on her. We lived there for about two years until we built our home on Cliff Drive. The lumber yard was truly a family business, with my Mom and sisters Brenda and Kris doing the bookkeeping and helping customers.

Dad mentioned over the years what a big role Carl Julius had in helping the business in its first couple o years. Carl owned Ben’s Store, which sold some building materials, and his loyal customers would not want to buy from the new kid in town. Carl would take their order and drive up to Dad and buy what they wanted and then deliver it to them.

Our first delivery truck was a ’49 Chevy short bed pickup. Dad would chain lumber to the bed while the other end would drag behind on the road – the local joke was a 16-foot 2x4 was only 14-feet-long when it arrived at its destination.

One of Dad’s first employees was a teenage kid whose family had a summer home on the Point. Tom Bradbury worked summers through his teen years and after graduating from Simon Fraser University worked full time until 1973 when he and Dad partnered in starting the Blaine Building Center and then followed a few years later with the Ferndale Building Center.

In the early years, the Nielson’s crew included Ernie Loreen, Sue White and Joe Pisetti. As a little kid I was often sent out on deliveries with Joe and I always remembered his very positive outlook on life … specifically, when he would come to work on December 27 and declare that there is only 363 days until Christmas. Every delivery was loaded by hand until we got our first forklift in the early ’70s. Bookkeeper Sue White went with Tom to work in Blaine and a few years later started the Mt. Vernon Building Center. Linda Myrdal took over bookkeeping and I remember her being devastated and having to leave early the day Elvis died.

I went off to university and ended up working for a company in Vancouver, Washington. After a year there, the opportunity to come back and manage Nielson’s came about as Dad was looking for a change himself. His focus had moved to building the Shell gas station and assembling property and permitting the Point Roberts Golf Course.

Throughout the 1980s, my sister Kris and I expanded inventory, held big sales events in spring and summer, computerized bookkeeping and did some major renovations to the old building. It was fun times in Point Roberts with the Breakers, Reef, Penny Lane Fish & Chips, Karoonies, the Cannery, TJs, Clark’s Store, Blackberries and many other small businesses very active in the community.

In 1989, we held the first ever beltsander drag race as part of a customer appreciation party. Somehow a keg of beer arrived and the races not having any official rules became a free for all. Marina mechanic Ken Keaton modified his sander and infamously became Cheatin’ Keaton. From that humble beginning, the International Belt Sander Drag Race Association (IBDA) was formed, trademarked and incorporated. The annual belt sander drag race grew to national recognition with over 60 sanctioned races across North America and the first national championship was held in Indianapolis May 23, 1998. Richmond’s Steve Mackenzie became the first national champion with his modified sander “Grinder.”Nielson’s was part of the PRO hardware buying group until 1994 when the opportunity to join Do it Best, a hardware wholesale co-op with over 4,000 members stores, came to be. This opened the door to a very competitive pricing structure and a much larger range of products delivered to Point Roberts.

Over the years, we’ve had an amazing group of employees. For many, it was their first job and we’ve seen these local kids move on to great things. Michelle Schwalback started in 2006 and quickly became a very important part of the store’s management and success. She met her husband, Don, in the paint aisle.

Without question, the greatest reward has been meeting all the Point Roberts property owners, permanent and second homeowners. At some point everyone would find their way into the store building, improving or fixing something. Thank you all for 59 incredible years.

On December 31, 2021, Fred Pakzad purchased Nielson’s Building Center. Mr. Pakzad owns both the Chevron and Point Fuel & Pantry gas stations and the new UPS store that will be opening soon on Gulf Road. Michelle has become Nielson’s third general manager.