Weismiller Lumber was established in 1906 by Hermann Weizmuller who had emigrated from Germany with his wife Maria in the late 1800’s and eventually settled in Germania, a community not far from Bala. Initially, the business operated as a mill but, with the decline of logging in the area, it slowly graduated in to a retail lumber yard in the 1950’s.

It is to be noted that the first generation of children “Canadianized” their surname to Weismiller

Hermann’s son Henry farmed and milled lumber in the area. Eventually his five sons – Herman, George, Albert, Jack And Henry – became involved with the business. Jack and Henry migrated to western Canada leaving Herman, George and Albert to run the business. Albert’s sons Lloyd, Earl and Roy eventually took over the company. The company was sold for a short period to an Archie McGibbon of Penetang but was sold back to the Weismillers due to Archie’s poor health. Currently, Wayne and Llora Weismiller in partnership with Reita Weismiller own the business. Wayne’s two sons, Dave and Mike, also work at the store and in the yard.

As Weismiller Lumber was the region’s only waterfront lumber yard during the 50’s and 60’s, it supplied the building components for many of the cottages built on Lake Muskoka at that period. With the Muskoka area’s popularity as a destination for cottagers and tourists alike, the store expanded in 1999 to 4000 sq. ft. of retail and offices. In 2000, the docking facilities were expanded to handle the ever demanding cottage trade. It should be noted that 75% of Weismiller’s business is from contractors.

The company has 15 full time employees whose years of service range from eight to 30 years. Customer service is paramount to keeping this strong and vibrant business and the staff and owners of Weismiller Lumber have not lost their focus on the customer