This family-owned company has grown from a small retailer of plumbing and electrical products to a seven-store hardware and home center chain serving the Portland/Vancouver metropolitan area. John Dolan founded A-Boy Supply in 1960. He first sold plumbing fixtures, electrical supplies, and appliances from a former grocery store in Southeast Portland. Lighting products and supplies were added later.

Steam bath display located at the Vaughn Street store. Ask for a demonstration.

A-Boy offers a great selection of vessel and above- cabinet sinks.

Vintage bath fixtures

A-Boy covers a broad range of quality plumbing fixtures and faucets. The variety of configurations, colors, finishes, and detail in kitchen and bath fixtures is a designer’s dream. Whether you’re trying to follow the tradition of your Craftsman bungalow home or wish to add an exciting flair to your contemporary theme, you’ll have a large palette of options to work from.

According to Scott Foster, manager of the Vaughn Street store, one of the biggest trends today is the use of vessel sinks, beautifully designed bowls that sit on top of the counter rather than recessed into the counter. Not only do these make a powerful design statement, but also this style creates extra room for storage in the space below the sink. “Just a couple years ago,” said Scott, “these were used almost exclusively in very upper-end homes. Today, the prices start as low as $129, so we’re seeing them going into many more homes than before.”

Another trend that is just beginning to percolate is found in the bathroom. The addition of a steam bath to the shower or a sauna to a bathroom or adjoining room is catching the attention of the over-stressed workforce. A-Boy’s Northwest Vaughn Street store has just completed the installation of a display so customers can actually see how it works. While adding a steam feature to an existing shower isn’t exactly a Sunday afternoon job, it also isn’t as expensive or hard as most people think. And the benefits people are reporting are well worth it. A steam bath refreshes, deep-cleans, and moisturizes the skin. It relaxes tight muscles, reduces aches and pains in joints, and relieves congestion. “We’re always looking for ways to give us the edge,” said Scott. “This has all the earmarks of being the next generation of pampering.”

A-Boy also offers a great assortment of lighting fixtures at all locations except Northwest Vaughn Street. From period to contemporary styles all your lighting needs are available whether you’re looking to add a wall sconce to your new bath, luminate your newly remodeled kitchen, or make a statement over your dining room table.

Electrical supplies from service panels and breakers to tank and tankless water heaters, portable and built-in heaters are also available. Through buying direct from major vendors, A-Boy is able to cut costs and save its customers money. With its new point-of-sale system A-Boy can provide a better in-stock availability of products. A-Boy can also install all water heaters it sells.

Of A-Boy’s seven area stores, three have design center showrooms: the Northwest Vaughn store, the Southwest Barbur Boulevard store, and the store on Southwest Main Street in Tigard. Other stores are located in the Hollywood district, on Southwest Foster, in Hillsboro and Vancouver, WA. While stores without showrooms don’t display all products, the friendly staff can order anything carried by any other A-Boy.