The business at that time was in a former livery stable. John Weston, who once owned it, moved his livery stable to the site of the present Eagles Lodge on North 16th St. Weston had earlier lived in Marion and operated Weston Livery and Feed Stable at 607 N. Market street and became the last operating livery in Marion before moving to live in Herrin around 1928-29.
Bob was born east of Energy in Fordville on January 7, 1897 to James L. and Alice Cox Stotlar. He was the youngest of six sons of one of Herrin’s pioneer families. He was determined to make a success out of the lumber business, and sixty two years later the business is still thriving and being run by the third generation of Stotlars.
Bob and his wife, Eva Orwin, had two sons, Robert Orwin Stotlar (1923) and Sam Stotlar (1927). Surviving the Great Depression of the 30’s and the war years of the early 40’s, it seemed almost impossible to succeed, especially starting with little capital and little management experience.
After the war, Orwin started work at the Bob Stotlar Lumber Yard in Herrin and three years later, Sam, having graduated from U. of Illinois, in business management, joined the team.
The old lumber yard had to go, since new ideas and merchandising displays could not be innovated in a 20 X 40 building with a pot belly stove in the middle of the floor.
The old store’s main building went down in October 1956 and on April 11, 1957, a brand new ultra-modern building for the time was in its place. The greatest and newest was Southern Illinois’ first fully air-conditioned show room. No one south of Champaign had this, so their customers were to enjoy shopping on 100 degree July days.
With the coming of Interstate 57 and the four lane road of Route 13, it seemed Marion would be the best location for expansion. Also the Williamson County Airport was being built; so in 1963, Sam went to Marion and bought and remodeled the old Marion Lumber and Supply Company at 510 W. Main Street in partnership with Orwin.
The Marion Lumber and Supply building and the car dealerships that sat next to it on W. Main Street were the earlier location of Edwards Mill.
By 1969, the name was changed and incorporated under Bob Stotlar Building Center, Inc. Orwin Stotlar was the President of the Herrin Corporation and Sam Stotlar, the younger son, was the President of the Marion Corporation.
The Marion and Herrin Stores were both named Bob Stotlar Building Centers.
By 1974, E. N. Baker Chevrolet ( previously J.C. Ford), next door neighbors, were moving to a new building on Highway 13, so their building was purchased giving them property over to near the old C & EI RR tracks (now MoPac).
In a 1976 Marion Daily Republican interview with Bob Stotlar, a resident of Herrin since 1897, he said the lumber business has changed drastically in the last 50 years. “Hardware used to be on shelves or in boxes,” he recalled. “You had to take it out and sell it to a customer. “Now everything is displayed like a grocery store,” he said. “The customer comes in and sells himself.”
The 24″ snow of 1979 destroyed the Baker building. New sheds were added later and in 1983, Rob Stotlar, Sam’s youngest son, joined him in Marion after graduating from Southern Illinois University with a major in home construction and marketing.
Bob Stotlar died in 1983, after working for sixty-three years in the retail lumber business.
In 1987, another major remodeling increased the building to its present look and size, making a 7,000 square foot display and office area available. A new parking lot and entrance on the east and pole shed lumber storage and another 14,000 feet of lumber storage and parking.
Today, Bob Stotlar Building Center, Inc. is one of the few privately owned lumber companies left where you can still get individual service by very experienced personnel, and the owner is always there to talk to anyone and everyone who needs him.
Their slogan of “Build Better with Assurance” is still as sound today as it was decades ago. The Stotlar family is the lumber family in Southern Illinois. The 1957 remodeling and building center concept was the first of its type in Southern Illinois. Offering complete service from estimating to finished home building, the Bob Stotlar Building Centers still stress good product lines, good lumber and the full knowledge that techniques can do the most; in helping their customers.
Around 1997, Sam’s son Rob Stotlar took over management of the business in Marion and remains there today.
(Data from 1989 Sesquicentennial History, WCHS; Bicentennial Edition of Marion Daily Republican; compiled by Sam Lattuca on 04/19/2013)