Collins Supply to close after 56 years

Published 6:00 am Saturday, May 20, 2017

After 56 years in business in Limestone County, officials with family-owned Collins Supply recently announced they would close up shop.

“I’m ready to retire, and there won’t be a third generation because the grandkids are pursuing other careers,” said co-owner Lakin Collins. “So, we all decided it’s time to close the book on this story.”

Collins Supply has marked down inventory and displays as part of a closing sale. The store will remain open from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays until the store’s contents are sold.

Early roots

The Collins Supply story is one borne out of necessity. Original owner J.T. Collins needed an awning for a window, but no one in town sold them. In 1960, he took out a $5,000 loan and opened Collins Supply in downtown Athens.

Collins was already knowledgeable in the field, having worked for Athens Lumber Company since 1948. His wife of 69 years, Nella, recently recalled the early days.

“He made $125 per month, and we didn’t have a car yet so he rode my bicycle to work,” she said.

Lakin, the couple’s first child, was born in 1950. J.T. was soon drafted to serve in the Korean War, where his hardware experience paid off. As an Army engineer, he helped build Mobile Army Surgical Hospital, or MASH, units.

“I was the only one in my unit that knew anything about construction, so the colonel promoted me and I was put in charge of construction,” J.T. Collins said.

After serving in Korea, Collins resumed his job at Athens Lumber Company. In the 1950s, he and Nella began a roofing company, North Alabama Roofing Co.

“Those were long, hot hours on rooftops, and in the evenings I drafted housing plans for construction companies,” he said.

A family affair

When Collins Supply began in 1960, it was a construction company combined with a building-supply store. Ten-year-old Lakin was part of the family business.

“I remember those days working at the store around school hours,” Lakin Collins said.

Accomplishments

Collins Supply built homes for families, many of whom were veterans under the GI Bill.

“We did all the home construction ‘in house’ with our own people, except for heating and air conditioning,” J.T. Collins said.

In 1970, Collins Supply made the switch from residential to commercial construction because there wasn’t enough money to be made in building homes.

“In 1970, we built 22 homes and made less than $300 per home,” Collins said.

As the business grew, so did the need to expand. The business moved to its current location on U.S. 72 in 1976.

As the years went by, four of the five Collins kids — Lakin, Dwight, Beth and Jon — became a part of the family business. By 1995, J.T. and Nella Collins had retired and Lakin, Dwight, Beth and Jon took over as owners. In the spirit of being a family-run business, even non-familial employees were treated like kin, the owners said.

“Ricky — who works in our lumber yard, inside the store and delivers products — graduated from high school with me and we’re best of friends,” Jon Collins said.

About the store

Collins Supply carries items for a variety of building needs, including drainage, electrical, plumbing, paint, hand tools, power tools, doors, windows, nails, fasteners, gardening, roofing and more. The store is at 17616 U.S. 72, 3.5 miles west of Interstate 65. For more information, call the store at 256-232-3498.