Our History

How it all Started

During the 1930’s, A. J. Gorham Ltd. was the biggest importer and supplier of cement. In 1933, when the only lumber company in Bermuda began importing cement, Mr. Gorham decided that Bermuda deserved a second lumber supplier.  The Gorham Lumber Company was formed in the autumn of 1934 by Mr. A.J. Gorham’s, with the late Mr. A. H. Goudie as general manager. The Gorham Lumber Company opened its doors for business in rented premises on Front Street in 1936, which then moved to a specially constructed building on Reid Street at the top of Spurling Hill.

By the early 1960’s the business had once again outgrown its premises and in 1962 moved to the present location on 62 St. John’s Road.  On the four-acre site purpose built lumber sheds permitted better material handling methods, along with better parking and loading facilities for customers and contractors.

When A.J. Gorham passed away in 1964 his son Richard M. Gorham became the president. In 1971 Gorham’s began widening its selection of products by introducing a wide range of basic tools and hardware items.  In 1979 it then became affiliated with Cotter & Company now known as True Value, which is based in Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A. and has over a thousand affiliated stores throughout the world.

In 1991 Gorham’s then moved into a new building in order to maintain its diversification of products.  After several years the company again outgrew the single store and once again reopened the rebuilt original store. 

In 2005 it was decided that to meet the needs of the consumer the two stores would be linked creating the 40,000 sq. ft single mega store that exists today. 

In 2010 we then began to adopt a greener way of doing business and began investing in a solar array that has now become the largest single privately owned array on the island producing an estimated 500KW power generation.

In 2020 we are to begin refurbishment of the Sales Floor in order to maintain our position on the island as that retailer with a vision and a winning mindset to remain as the premier leader in the industry.   

In early 2021 ground-breaking of the new parking lot on the west side of the Main Store and Lumber Shed began. This was after an agreement was made in October 2019 between the Government of Bermuda and our neighbours, Western Stars Sports Club. 

In 2022 we began construction of your new and expanded Lumber Shed. The transformation was needed to accommodate our enlarged and enhanced line of products, as well as designing a more convenient and sensible flow of traffic throughout the Lumber Yard.

In February 2023, we launched our intranet site called The Shed. This has become our primary source for internal communications, information sharing, employee resources, and training & development for all Gorham's employees.

In February 2024, we announced the development of a second location in Southampton.

In March 2024, we launched our revitalized company website and e-commerce platform.

The success and longevity of Gorham’s Ltd can be attributed to a solid team effort. The many long serving members of staff have contributed to building the company’s reputation for high quality products and customer satisfaction. Gorham’s continues to evolve as it strives to be the best on the island.