A more than 50-year-old Wilmington firm that supplies pipes, valves and fittings to customers large and small is expanding with the addition of satellite storefronts, starting with a location on North College Road.

Industrial Supply Co., founded in 1966 and formerly Industrial Sales Co., has leased a 5,000-square-foot building at 423 N. College Road across from Corning for its first satellite retail branch. Owner Wes Turbeville purchased the company last year, rebranded and renamed it. As a result of the purchase, he also moved the company's headquarters from Blue Clay Road to 20 acres on Point Harbor Road across the Cape Fear River from PPD.

The aim of the satellite location on North College Road, along with plans for more, is to bring products closer to customers.

"I feel there's a need to open smaller satellite stores in high-traffic locations in town," Turbeville said Monday. "It will be more convenient; people don't have to drive as far." 

The store will carry a wide variety of products, including all of the company's PVC, stainless steel, carbon steel and brass pipes, valves and fittings up to six inches, with quick delivery of larger products available from Industrial Supply's headquarters, he said.

The company currently serves numerous customers in Wilmington including GE, Corning, Cape Fear Public Utility Authority, plumbers, underground utility contractors, mechanical contractors and anybody else that needs pipes, valves, fittings and other industrial items it carries, Turbeville said.

"The storefront will be more for smaller customers, but it will be for everybody as well. We're going to have a good selection over there," he said. "All of our main sellers -- the items we sell every day -- will be there."

Industrial Supply's North College Road store, formerly a Pawn South location, is expected to open with a celebration on Jan. 2. Brokers Nicholas Silivanch and David Branton of Eastern Carolinas Commercial Real Estate represented the landlord in the lease with Industrial Supply.

"College Road will be the first one. We plan to expand to have one in Monkey Junction and also one in Porters Neck next year," Turbeville said.

From there, the firm hopes to reach out to additional markets with stores, including Jacksonville, Fayetteville, Charlotte, Charleston and Columbia in South Carolina and Richmond, Virginia.

"We really take pride in our customer service. We treat everybody like friends and family, and we just want to make it easy," Turbeville said.

Of the Jan. 2 opening on North College Road, which will include an open house and cookout, Turbeville said, "We want to help everybody and make it more convenient for them to buy and to buy local and to hear about our plans for growth."