Located on the southern fringe of the Appalachian mountains, Citizens Coal and Supply Company, as it was first named, was established as a partnership in 1907 when coal made many in this area millionaires. Since coal was no longer the primary product, the name was changed to Citizens Building Supply and Home Center in 1975. The business was located in a small frame building at 8 Pearis Street, next to the N&W railroad and its first owners were Landon E. Borden, Belle R. Borden, C.L. Borden, Dr. J.F. Fox and Dr. W.H. Sinclair. In 1908 Landon Borden passed away and C.L. Borden became Chairman of the Board and his brother Frank H. Borden became manager. In 1914 Dr. Fox and Dr. Sinclair were bought out by the remaining owners. Frank H. Borden who remained in his position until 1939, was succeeded by James C. Borden who then became president and the business was incorporated in 1940. His son-in-law Carl S. Thomas, Jr. became president in 1969. In 2004, Carl Thomas III, great grandson of C.L. & Belle Borden, became president. In addition, Missy Thomas, the great granddaughter of C.L. & Belle Borden has been with the company since 1982. The family heritage of Citizens owes its success to its many valuable long term employees. Currently we have 13 employees with a total of over 255 years with our company. In 1976 the W.R. Keesee property next door was purchased and the store was moved to its present location in 1977. The original buildings are still used for storage. Citizens purchased the former Bluefield Hardware property in 1998 that was also adjacent, extending their operations to more storage buildings and a drive through lumber shed. With the Cole & Thomas Family being friends for over 75 years, Tom Cole, Jeff Butler, and Kevin Colley purchased Citizens Building Supply in June 2021 with the vision to grow the business while offering top of the line products with the best service to our customers. We are excited to continue the “Citizens Legacy!”
