About Us

Pohaki has been providing the highest quality home improvement products to northern Minnesota’s Iron Range and surrounding area with personal service for 73 years.

Locally-owned, our knowledgeable Iron Range home improvement pros will help you find exactly what you’re looking for your northern Minnesota home remodel or new building project. Our commitment to quality and service has helped us to build rock-solid relationships with our loyal customers for decades.

We carry only the highest quality products for your Minnesota building or remodeling projects at Pohaki, right here in Virginia, Minnesota.

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Our History: Founded on Service. Quality Products. And Good People.

A lot of people believe Pohaki is a Native American word. Located deep in the heart of thick pine and birch forests that surround clear spring-fed lakes near Virginia, Minnesota, it’s not hard to imagine a mystical, mysterious meaning in the name of this Iron Range home improvement store. A Native American image was even used in the company logo years ago.

Truth is, our company’s name came from the first two letters of the three owners who founded Pohaki more than 70 years ago. Steve POgorelce, Newton HAhne and Clarence KIntner purchased a yard that was built in 1896 as a retail store for a local sawmill and was known as W.T. Bailey Lumber Company.

Allen Williams began working at Pohaki in 1964 and married Mary Pogorelce in 1967. By 1970, Pogorelce was the sole owner, and Williams took over the business from his father-in-law in 1988.

History repeated itself in 2001, when Brandon Seppala (married to Heather, Al & Mary’s daughter) began working at Pohaki. In 2008, Brandon & Heather purchased the business and became the third-generation owners of the family business.

Today, Brandon & Heather’s son, Brady, is an integral part of Pohaki’s growing success.

Times have changed since there were multiple, local family-run lumberyards and home improvement stores in almost every community across the Range. Now, we see those businesses being replaced with “big box” stores.

That is why our priority at Pohaki continues to be a commitment to providing our customers with personal & customized service.

Service. Quality. Good People. Pohaki.