KINGSTON — Kingston Lumber Millwork and Supply is moving out of the downtown location it has called home since the 1940s.

The business is combining operations on the corner of State Route 104 and Bond Road, where it maintains a six-acre lumber yard. Owner Tom Waggoner hopes to have the move completed by the end of May, he said.

Having the retail space and full lumber yard in one location will streamline the business, Waggoner said. Kingston Lumber has store space and a limited inventory of lumber at its downtown building, on the corner of State Route 104 and Lindvog Road. Waggoner said some clients have had to shuttle between the store and the Bond Road yard to pick up the items they need. Worsening downtown traffic also made it more difficult to move trucks in and out of the store.

“It gives us an opportunity to be more efficient with our customers,” Waggoner said of the move.

The change had been planned for years, Waggoner said, but a building recently became available for rent near the Bond Road yard that made the move possible.

Waggoner and a partner bought the downtown lumber store and yard in 1968 and went to work expanding the business. Today Kingston Lumber is a regional seller, distributing boards, panels and construction packages as far as eastern Washington. It is also adding a line of roof trusses. The downtown store is a landmark, where town news is displayed on an outdoor bulletin board.

Kingston Henery Hardware owner Pete Warner said his store may pick up a little business after Kingston Lumber closes its downtown location, but the lumber store’s departure will leave a void.

“It’s nice to have a tight-knit community with a lot to offer,” Warner said. “I think they will be missed.”

Waggoner said he has already been approached by a few people interested in using the soon-to-be-vacant downtown space.

“It will give the downtown part of Kingston a chance to grow,” he said.