In January of 1973 on Bradston St. in Boston, Massachusetts, Rod Reader and Ed Downes started the Downes & Reader Hardwood Co ... mpany. With a total inventory of 500 board feet of 4/4 Yellow Birch, 500 board feet of 4/4 Red Oak, and a 1960 Ford F-6 they were "in business". In May of 1975 they bought the property at 60 Evans Drive, and built the first building on the site where they are still located today. Today Downes & Reader operates its wholesale distribution out of Stoughton, MA and Blakeslee, PA. They also have retail locations in Gorham, ME, Milford, CT, and Stoughton, MA, where customers can come down and select their own wood for their projects. read more