CLIP CLOPPING INTO THE 21st CENTURY--
at Keim Lumber Company, Charm, OH

Semi trucks, buggies and child-sized horse-drawn carts mingle peacefully along SR 557 as "English" folks transition  from our culture to that of the Amish from centuries gone by.  Yet, right smack in the middle of this pastoral scene in Charm, OH sits a world class lumber yard that can make contractors and craftsmen drool.

Imagine an acre or so of floor-model, high quality power tools sitting on a parquet floor with a flowing staircase which ascends to the Carpenter's Cafe where customers can enjoy sustenance and a nod to Christ's temporal occupation at the same time--if they are paying attention to such nuances.

Imagine a clock tower of polished hardwood (above) soaring as if to penetrate a three story roof highlight with inlaid and carved company logos appearing to roll around its lofty perimeter.

Imagine an entire showroom of the world's exotic woods.  Imagine a 2" thick cross-section of four foot diameter tree trunk that could be hand crafted into a table of castle quality--with an eye popping price of $4,000.

You could roll into their yard with your semi-truck and roll out with all the tools, material and equipment to build the castle of your dreams; and much of its furniture too.

It all started in the first part of the 20th Century right there in Charm when Moses J. Keim, son of Joseph, grew up learning the carpentry and woodworking trade at his home's water-powered saw mill.  In 1912, Moses and brother Abe went by train to Massillon and purchased a 25 horsepower steam engine to be the power unit in their growing mill on the very site we know today.

Much later Moses remembered getting rid of their huge sawdust piles by loading the material on wagons and spreading a 4 inch layer of it on Charm's dirt and often muddy roads.

Expansion with construction of new buildings has been continuous and today there are over 700,000 square feet under roof.  They have nearly 400 employees and some 26 trucks which offer free delivery within a 150 mile radius.

As we concluded our visit by loading Mark's lumber it was amusing to watch both Amish and English young men whiz around the yard with productive yet child-like enthusiasm in their motor powered carts.  As their work day concluded these co-workers would go home to vastly different cultures.

We know what ours is like.

Their's remains one of mostly peaceful, rural solitude with horse-drawn buggies instead of motor vehicles, with oil-powered lamps and, just maybe, a neighborhood telephone "hidden" from the bishop in a convenient tree lot.

We rolled out of Charm and watched a white-bearded member of their clan tending his pasture by dutifully clipping tall weeds the farm's livestock chose to ignore.

While we accelerated to highway speed we left behind a life that moves to a decidedly gentler melody.

  
Like four spokes in a giant wheel, customer service stations festooned with computers surround the base of the clock tower in the center of Kime's multi-acre, retail floor space seen in this view from the Carpenter's Cafe.
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http://www.keimlumber.com/