About Us
Best Built began in 1928 when Oren Crockett bought an interest in the JM Bryant store in Orofino, ID. John Bryant was father to the late Vera Werner and Maxine Musiel of Orofino. After the death to typhoid fever of their son William, Oren and his wife, Nell moved to Riverside, CA. In 1930 they returned to Orofino and Oren and his wife, Nell, bought out John Bryant and started Crockett’s Hardware.
The Fire of 1970
The Best Built location in Orofino burned to the ground at the present location on April 14, 1970. John, Frank and crew rebuilt the entire store themselves. Those in the crew besides John and Frank were Lowell (Dick) Bashaw, Sonny Mitchell, Irv Foster, and Homer Noah.
Steve Crockett, John’s second-oldest son, joined the business upon the reopening in September of 1970. Leila Crockett came on board in September of 1973. Shortly thereafter Steve’s brother, Doug Crockett came home and he became a partner with Steve and Leila Crockett.
Crockett Family Grows the Business
Over four generations, the Crockett family committed themselves to putting the needs of their customers at the forefront as evidenced by the expansion of their business over the years.
Many new services were added in recent years including takeoff services, crane service, and installed insulation. A new store in Kamiah opened Dec 1, 2007 between Kamiah and Kooskia. Centrally located between the Orofino and Grangeville locations, the new store helped centralize the distribution of building materials and allowed Best Built to service a greater segment of the Clearwater Valley and Camas Prairie.
The hunting and fishing department was closed in 2012 and the Design Center at Best Built in Orofino, featuring cabinets, flooring, and appliances was built. The Design Center got its new home at 830 Michigan Ave in Nov 2014.
Part of the TAL Building Center’s family
Based in Vancouver, Washington, TAL Building Centers is a family-owned company helping to build better communities. At its home improvement stores located throughout the Pacific Northwest, TAL creates a positive experience for its customers—pros and homeowners alike—by providing guidance for innovative, smart building solutions.
TAL’s family of brands include Badger Building Center, Bayview Building Supply of Elma, Beaverhead Building Center, Best Built Builders Supply, Browne’s Home Center, Ennis Building Center, Gerretsen Building Supply, Harbor Rental & Saw Shop, Lake Chelan Building Supply, Marson and Marson Lumber, Midway Building Supply, Miller’s Home Center, Mount Vernon Building Center, and Tum-A-Lum Lumber.