fbpx

Call Us: Baltimore: (410) 675-4740    |   Chevy Chase  (240) 858-1001

About us

National Lumber Company was founded in 1919 in Baltimore, Maryland, by Alexander Fruman– patriarch to a five-generation family business. Shortly after his arrival from Eastern Europe at the turn of the 20th century, Alexander, a carpenter by trade, sensed the growing need for custom-made window and door sashes. This hastened the birth of National Lumber Company. The first three employees, Alexander and sons Isadore and Phillip Fruman, set up shop in the ‘Little Italy’ section of East Baltimore. 

Outgrowing their original location on Stiles Street necessitated a move to nearby 300 South Central Ave. In 1933, Isadore’s son Leonard joined the firm while still in high school. A challenging, cramped, triangular three-story building served as the office, warehouse and door and window shop until 1958, with additional outdoor space at two nearby locations. 

 

In 1958, the purchase of the well-established P.M. Womble Lumber Company, located in a four city-block residential area known as Canton, two miles to the east, afforded National Lumber to develop business in the industrial and commercial sectors. Womble had an existing sawmill and planing operation in place. 

Upon Isadore’s death in 1965, his son Leonard assumed the company reins and in 1968, Leonard’s son Arnold joined the firm. Leonard had the foresight to move the business three miles to the Northeast to its current location at 4901 Pulaski Highway (Route 40 East). On Pulaski Highway National Lumber occupies almost 10 acres and is located on a major east – west thoroughfare running through Baltimore City. In 2000, the addition of Arnold’s two sons, Kevin and Neal Fruman led National Lumber into its fifth generation of family leadership.

In March 2020, in response to increased demand from customers in the Washington, DC metro area, National Lumber was excited to open a brand new Design Center location in downtown Chevy Chase

Currently, the supply of building materials is heavily focused on lumber, interior and exterior door units, high-end windows, kitchen cabinetry, primed moldings, drywall, and an extensive hardware selection. National Lumber is proud to offer everything you need for your building project.

Check out our feature on Baltimore Heritage

Take a look at our feature on the Baltimore Heritage YouTube channel to learn more about our company’s origins, and the impact we’ve left on the Baltimore region!

National Lumber Then and Now

Kitchen DEsigner

Laura brings 18 years of experience to our kitchen design team. She helps customers build exceptional kitchen spaces down to the finest details. 

Every client has unique needs, and Laura enjoys the puzzle of figuring out how to fulfill them. She combines her technical abilities with her background in interior design to balance functionality and beauty.

She listens to her clients to help them narrow down their choices and presents a curated selection to make the process less overwhelming. Laura finds creative solutions to check off their wish list while keeping them on budget.

Her personal favorite design trend is a transitional style with a hint of traditional details. She loves the mix of painted colors and the textures and variations of natural woods. However, the best
part of her job is the opportunity to work in every design style
and come up with different combinations of styles, materials,
and finishes executing her client’s unique vision.

Personally, she loves everything involving water- the ocean, pools, boating, and long baths.
She also enjoys anything with a story- books, movies, shows, etc.
Her newest hobby is attempting to have as much fun cooking as she does exploring new restaurants.

Kitchen DEsigner

With over 15 years of experience, LindaRose brings deep knowledge of how to achieve beautiful kitchen designs at the right price. 

For LindaRose, listening to a client’s needs is paramount to achieving a great design. Creativity is key to kitchen design, requiring out-of-the-box thinking to achieve an excellent final product. 

Some of her favorite design trends she introduces to clients include transitional, clean lines, and dark islands with light perimeters. 

Before entering the world of kitchen design, she spent 20 years in theatre as a singer and actor, working in notable local theatres like Round House and Everyman.

In her free time, she enjoys other creative endeavors such as working with textiles including quilting, embroidery, and weaving. 

Kitchen DEsigner

Rick Bechtel is an industry expert with 7+ years as a kitchen designer. He brings unique insights to design thanks to his 15 years as a carpenter and contractor.

Rick believes in the importance of listening to the needs of the clients he works with. Utilizing his experience s a carpenter and contractor, he strives to make every layout as economical as possible through wise cabinet selection. 

Rick makes informed suggestions for products or features that can improve the cooking experience. He’s an expert in taking the dream items clients identify online or in showrooms and introducing options that better fit their design needs and are less cost prohibitive.

As a designer, he’s an expert on contemporary or transitional styles, light colors, and wood accents. 

Rick is passionate about woodworking and contracting but transitioned his career to spend more time with his children. He enjoys projects around his (or his children’s) house, and weekend trips with his wife.