Fire Chief Don Duso, right, at the aftermath of the February 15, 1986, Big D fire, Adirondack Daily Enterprise, February 20, 1986 
Big D advertisement announcing the move to 200 Broadway, Adirondack Daily Enterprise, February 2, 1973 Address: 245 Broadway
Old Address: 200 Broadway
Other names: Big D Building Supply Corp, Big D Ace Hardware
Year built: c. 1880, renovated in 1964
Big D is a fuel oil, propane, and heating service business operated by William G. Decker (Billy) and his family. It was formerly a building supply, plumbing supply and fuel oil dealer, operated by William R Decker, his brother, Jack, their father Emil, and their families, and D Cohen and Sons before that. The business has been operating continuously though it's evolution since the late 1800's.
The Deckers bought D. Cohen and Sons in 1964. D Cohen and Sons was a large wholesale and retail plumbing and building Supply with multiple warehouses and also a store in Bloomingdale. They had a staff of on the road sales people who served contractors, builders, plumbers, and retail hardware stores in a 50 mile plus radius and had a fleet of trucks that delivered most of what the sales staff sold.
In 1970 they razed two of the multi story wood frame warehouses and built a 20,000 sf steel truss building at what is now 258 Broadway and changed the corporation name to Big D Building Supply Corp. It was a business model ahead of its time and was very successful drawing business from a 50-mile plus radius. In 1971 a fire took the original D. Cohen and Sons store building that was still being used for store inventory. After several prosperous years of operation they sold that building and the rights to sell lumber, but not the business name, to Grossman's Lumber. Eventually the Grossman chain sold the property to Aubuchon Hardware which exists there today, having moved from 28 Broadway.
The three elder Deckers went their separate ways for a time, William R into hospitality and commercial real estate, Jack continued to operate Big D as a plumbing supply business in the former New York Central passenger station, which had become a freight house after Union Depot was built in 1904, while Emil Decker, their father retired.
William R, missing the business rejoined Jack in 1983. William G. Decker (Billy), William R's son joined the business in 1985 and William R semi retired while retaining controlling interest. When their store in the freight station burned in 1986, the business relocated into a different building on the property known as the Lapan Building, the former site of the Lapan Fuel company, which had been used as a warehouse but still had an office, bathroom, garage and shop. The plumbing was restocked and all lines retained on downsized basis and the fuel operation was more the focus and grew. Jack sold his interest in the business, William R moved to Florida, and his son Guy joined the business.
In 1987, Billy built a new 12,000 square foot steel-framed building which was used initially as a garage and shop for the fuel trucks. Guy joined the business soon after. Being an Ace Hardware since the early 80s, they decided to expand the hardware and building supply business into the new structure and promoted the Ace Hardware line more visibly. William R., still a principal, romanced Kinney Drugs to open a location in Saranac Lake. In 1989 William G built a steel framed addition between the new steel building and the Lapan Building, doubling their space and built out and rented square space to Kinney Drugs while Guy moved that portion of the store into the remaining, very large space which incorporated three connected buildings.
In 1992 Guy decided to pursue a career in engineering in which he was extensively educated with bachelors degrees from Skidmore and Clarkson and a masters degree from Dartmouth. William R, more interested in commercial real estate than a store had been looking for another commercial tenant and enticed Family Dollar as a tenant , and in 1993 Big D downsized back into the Lapan Building while William G built out the space for Family Dollar, ran the fuel operation and limited plumbing supplies to mostly heating related supplies.
In 2005 William R and his son William G decided to divide the business assets and go their separate ways. William G kept fuel operation, the business name and the west portion of the property, the former site of the freight station, between Mills Avenue and St. Lawrence Street and relocated to that rear portion of the property now know as Big D Fuel at 37 St. Lawrence Street, and William R. became sole owner of the Broadway frontage, renaming it High Peaks Plaza. William R and his wife Bonnie opened High Peaks Wine and Spirits in the Lapan Building. William R. had acquired the former Humane Society Building around 2003, which was the former Swift Premium meat packing plant which Jack rented from William R naming it Swift Supply and Rental, later moving it to John Munn Road.
Source: Chris Brescia
Adirondack Daily Enterprise, February 17, 1986
Building supply store burns to the ground in early morning fire
By MERI-JO BORZILLERI
SARANAC LAKE - A fire ripped through the Big D Building Supply store early Saturday morning, destroying the building and virtually all of the equipment and inventory inside.
A potentially disastrous situation was averted by firemen who kept the flames from spreading to three large heating oil tanks nearby, and a smaller fuel oil service tank about 30 feet from the blaze.
White smoke and the glow from the fire could be seen for miles as firemen struggled for almost five hours in freezing weather to bring the huge conflagration under control.
Firemen are still puzzled about what started the fire, and have also been unable to determine where it started. Fire Chief Don Duso said the fire's origin may remain a mystery.
"It was too destroyed to even tell," he said today, adding that there is no investigation at present into the possibility of arson.
William Decker, president of Big D Building Supply Co., Inc., estimated losses totaling $750,000. Decker, along with his son William Jr. and his brother Jack, operate the business.
It was a familiar story for the Decker brothers, who in 1971 found themselves sifting through the charred remains of the Cohen Hardware building on Upper Broadway, which they used as a warehouse for hardware items arid plumbing fixtures.
That building and all its contents were also destroyed in an early morning wintertime blaze.
The all-wood, rambling Big D building was built around 1880, said Decker, who modernized the interior with hot water heating, lights and computer equipment after the company bought the building in 1964.
Now, all that remains at the 200 Broadway address is a charred structure and some scorched business records that were kept in the store's safe.
"It's a total loss," said Decker today. "Everything is junk. I don't see anything that's salvageable."
Firemen who fought the inferno early Saturday morning were called back late that afternoon to water down a flare-up in the middle of what was left of the charred structure.
Thirty-five men and four trucks answered the call at 2:22 a.m. Saturday and stayed at the scene until 7:45 a.m.
"It was fully involved (and fire was coming) through the roof when we arrived," said Duso.
Duso said a main concern of firemen was to protect the nearby Ultramar office building, which could have burned without constant attention from firemen.
Duso said the office building had metal siding and was steaming from the heat of the Big D fire. Volunteers watered down the structure to prevent it from igniting.
Duso said the contents of the supply store, much of it highly flammable material, made the fire difficult to handle because of its intensity.
"It was an extremely hot fire," said Duso, who added that the building burned down very quickly despite the firefighter's efforts.
Decker said that he plans to rebuild on the site and that Big D will continue home heating fuel and service operations from the nearby LaPan building where the company has some inventory stored.
He said that neither the oil tanks nor the delivery trucks were affected by the fire.
"The phone's been very quiet. People think we're out of business completely," said Decker, adding, "It will be business as usual as far as heating oil is concerned, but the hardware business is just dead in the water."
Decker said the business was only partially covered by insurance.
Of the estimated $750,000 loss, he said, "We don't have anything like that in coverage."
Adirondack Daily Enterprise, June 26, 1987
Big D opens hardware outlet today
SARANAC LAKE - From dishes to pet supplies, power tools to automotive needs, more than 10,000 items to meet nearly any need may now be found at the new Big D, 188 Broadway.
"With more people turning to the do-it-yourself aspect of things, we thought the time is right for a store where they can find the parts and tools necessary to complete home projects," said co-owner Guy Decker.
Big D is celebrating the grand opening of its new store, an ACE Hardware outlet, today through Sunday with special giveaways throughout the weekend.
The new 12,000 sq. ft. store replaces the old Big D plumbing-fixtures store that was destroyed by fire in February 1986.
Decker and his brother Bill decided to expand from a specialized store to a "department" store to provide more services and products to a greater number of people, they said this week.
Guy Decker says prices on most items will be lower than other stores because Big D buys from ACE at lower prices and in lower quantities.
"Some stores have to buy 200 hammers at a time," he said. "Through ACE, if we only need 10 hammers, that's all we have to buy."
The wide variety of items in stock includes curtains, bathroom fixtures, telephones, television accessories, home lighting supplies, camping supplies including tents, barbeques, screens, pots and pans, cleaning supplies, and a "huge tool department" Guy Decker said.
The store also boasts a variety of books and videocassettes for the do-it- yourselfer, and can offer overnight world-wide shipping. The Deckers say that if they don't have an item, they can usually have it delivered within a week from ACE.
Big D is open from 8 a.m Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sundays.
External link:
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Adirondack Daily Enterprise, May 19, 1989 Tri-Lakes Area Business Profile on Big D
