Congratulations to Stillwater Wood, a longstanding business honored by the village this spring for 42 years of service at the same location on Hudson Avenue.

Owner Bob Hallum was recognized by the Board of Trustees in May with a plaque for this achievement.

“It was just a way for us as a community to thank them for staying with us,” said Mayor Rick Nelson, who plans on recognizing local businesses on a regular basis. “We do appreciate it and it means a lot.”

Stillwater Wood, originally Stillwater Wood and Iron, was born on May 5, 1973 in a space at 726 Hudson Ave. formerly occupied by the Copper Kettle. It is a sales and finishing store privately owned by Bob Hallum, his wife Jane, and his sister Didi Rudolph.

Though Bob cites the advantages of affordable property and the ability to maintain a low overhead as reasons for the business’s long success in the village, the real reason seems to be the fact that Stillwater Wood has espoused the values that Stillwater reveres. Those values, he said, are honesty, hard work, and a devotion to one’s craft — a welcome contrast to today’s pre-packaged, mass produced world.

Although the family does have a store website these days featuring a photo gallery of wood products, they do almost no advertising, yet maintain a great reputation through word of mouth alone.

“I am blessed to be here,” said Bob, after receiving his award. “You can have a business in many areas. Some are good and some are bad but one thing you can say for Stillwater, it is consistent. When you are here this long you know the people you are dealing with and you know where they come from. It’s a great place for a business.”

While Stillwater is their home base, the company serves an area today that encompasses the greater Capital District, Saratoga-Lake George Region, and beyond.

What’s Stillwater Wood’s secret to success? “Providing a quality product at a price that regular people can afford,” is Bob’s answer.

In presenting the award on behalf of the village, Trustee Frank Tatum said as a small child, he would walk over to the “Wood and Iron” (as it was known in those days) from time to time and ask Mr. Hallum for empty furniture boxes he and his friends would use for “play forts.”

“I distinctly remember the scent of sawdust when I would first walk in the door,” Tatum said. “So when I stopped in to chat with Bob and Didi a couple Sundays ago, that smell of sawdust greeted me again and brought back those memories that are now more than four decades old.”

“The village is proud to have you here,” Tatum said. “Congratulations on your success!”