I just discovered a gem of a retailer in Delcambre: Otto Hebert Lumber Yard, which is much more than a lumber yard. Walking in, I was surprised to find a hardware store with everything from every type of hardware known to man (including door knobs) to wet vacs, light bulbs and tool holders, gloves, extension cords, and a line of Pittsburg Paints and paint supplies. I left with some insulated faucet protectors- getting ready for winter – light bulbs for my living room chandeliers (for less than I pay at the Dollar Store), and some battery-operated light switches that I’ve been meaning to have on hand if the power goes out (again, at a great price .) Much to my surprise, I discovered they sell window and door screens that can be customized to my extra-long window size. I’ve driven past this place nearly every week for six years and had no idea. The lumberyard was originally opened in the late 50s by Otto Hebert, a former teacher in the agriculture department at Southwestern Louisiana Institute (now UL) who wanted to do something different. After Otto’s death, the business was run by his son Garland and grandson Troy Dubois, who still works in outside sales. In 2004, it was purchased by current owner and president Hall Fontaine, whose family is deeply rooted in the lumber business. (His grandfather was cofounder of Pointe Coupee Lumber in New Roads and Lafayette; his father opened Fontaine Lumber in New Roads; and his brother opened Livonia Lumber, among other lumberyards.) But Hall, a New Roads native, says, “When I was younger, I wanted to get away from the lumber business and went to UL. Afterward, I bought a bulldozer and backhoe and got into the construction business. I was in my late 30s when I approached Garland, saying I’d be interested in buying the lumberyard if he ever wanted to sell.” Today, the 52,000-square-foot facility houses some 500,000 board feet of pine, treated pine, spruce, cedar, cypress, mahogany, oak, birch, and paint-grade materials. The business also offers a large number of windows and doors, along with shingle and metal roofing, insulation, moldings, plywood, sheetrock, framing lumber, posts and columns, hardy board and vinyl siding, along with rough-cut lumber for pergolas, piers, and bulkheads – all delivered on-site. The residential building sector makes up some 95 percent of the business, with the remaining servicing commercial and do-it-yourselfers. Aside from its vast inventory, Otto Hebert Lumber Yard is known for its ability to outsource specialty products. Servicing an 80-mile radius in Acadiana from Opelousas to Crowley and Baldwin to Grand Isle, Hall is proud to have retained many of his first customers, others that go back 30 years or more and continued the legacy of Otto Hebert.
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