Better Know A Business: Exotic Lumber

95% of business in Frederick, Maryland are small businesses with 50 or fewer employees. 

The diversity and variety of businesses speak to the strong spirit of entrepreneurship in this community. Staff from the City of Frederick's Department of Economic Development recently visited one of these small businesses, Exotic Lumber. 

Get to know Exotic Lumber better by reading a Q & A with owner, Neil Gager.

Better Know a Business: Exotic Lumber

Department of Economic Development representatives,
Bobby Baumler and Richard Griffin, with Neil Gager,
owner of Exotic Lumber.

When did you open in Frederick?

Exotic Lumber relocated to Frederick in October last year (2013). I opened my business when we arrived here from South Africa in January of 2002. 

Why did you choose Frederick for your business location?

We were renting a warehouse in the Airpark in Gaithersburg since we opened, and last year, we purchased our current warehouse. Living in New Market the last seven or so years, we have gotten to know Frederick well, and really enjoy what the city offers.

Who are your clients and what do they make with your products?

Our clients range from commercial businesses, like small and medium cabinet makers, furniture makers, remodelers, contractors, deck builders, mill work shops, flooring companies, luthiers, boat builders, as well as  wood turners and all kinds of hobbyist woodworkers.  We also supply wood for historic renovation jobs.

What makes your business unique/different?

What makes us unique is our range of domestic and imported woods (over 120 species) and the fact that our customers can hand select their own lumber and, for a fee, have it planed and cut on-site for them. We also keep unusual things like burls and live-edged wood slabs.

Is there anything else you’d like people to know about your business?

We have a showroom and customers are welcome to come in and look at what the different species are like once they have been sanded and finished.  

We also sell certain species of paper–backed veneers and edge banding, as well as veneer core plywood, as well as wood for outdoor uses – (furniture - teak, Spanish cedar, mahogany, western red cedar ), decks (Ipe wood decking from Brazil), and Western Red  cedar for raised garden  beds. 

Additional Information

Exotic Lumber Inc

329 E. 2nd Street

Frederick, MD  21701

301-695-1271

www.exoticlumberinc.com 

Hours