Aurora Plumbing and Electric Co, Inc.

Gordon Thompson started in the plumbing business working for Crane Supply in Seattle. He identified a need for supplying plumbing goods for the do-it-yourselfer. He started Aurora Plumbing in 1959 with two silent partners and bought them out in 1960. Gordon and his wife, Evelyn, had a dream to grow Aurora Plumbing. They started in a red barn formerly used by Meridian Brick Company. Dusting and rat chasing was a frequent activity in the early days. Later they leased the north building, formerly Burstons Pharmacy, and moved in using it as the primary selling space with the barn relegated to the warehouse. In 1971, Gordon and Evelyn negotiated a deal with SeaFirst Bank and The Small Business Association and borrowed enough to build the south building which became the first retail showroom for plumbing in Seattle. After several remodels and reincarnations, we have todays layout for Aurora Plumbing. When Gordon lost his battle with cancer in December of 1987, Bob Matkin finalized his purchase agreement and took over ownership of Aurora Plumbing after working for Gordon for 21 years. Bob and Jeannie Matkin successfully operated Aurora Plumbing for years, ever-changing the business to combat the increasing competition due to big box stores. But Aurora Plumbing never swayed from Gordons vision to provide quality products with helpful, knowledgeable people. After 37 years, Bob and Jeannie sold the business to Brian and Pam Dressel, beginning yet a new era. We, the Aurora Plumbing and Electric team, are determined to make our customers top priority. We vow to offer the most helpful and knowledgeable support to each person that enters the store, calls on the phone, or contacts us via the internet. By doing so, we hope to be ranked #1 in customer satisfaction in the Greater Seattle Area.