By Leisl Lemire | Special to the Advertiser

Russell Do It Center on U.S. Highway 31 is expanding and undergoing extensive renovations.

If you have ever wondered about the name, the answer is yes—the stores are owned by Ben Russell of the Russell Lands Corporation.

This is the same Russell family that funded the majority of the money for a significant expansion including a hospital wing at Children’s of Alabama, and the same family that has for over a century, contributed to the economy of east central Alabama.

The Clanton location first opened in 1997, there are nine stores in central Alabama.

According to the website, Do It Centers are “the only U.S.-based full-line, full-service, member-owned distributor of lumber, hardware, and building material products in the home improvement industry.”

Among the improvements listed by store manager Mickey Atkins, are updates to the exterior and interior, more cash registers, 2,000 additional square feet of space and about that same number of items added to the store’s inventory.

The lawn and garden area will be expanded, and the entire shopping experience should be more aesthetically pleasing and “lady friendly,” according to Atkins.

Atkins said the expansion enhances the experience for an “ever increasing number of female customers looking for items to complete their own projects.”

In addition, contractors will be pleased to know that a convenient new contractor’s entrance is also being added.

Some already existing benefits to shopping at Russell Do It Center is that they offer free estimates, free local delivery and a price matching promise.

As the expansion gets underway, be aware that the store will be closed Nov. 14 while floors are re-surfaced. Also, look forward to a “grand re-opening” that is planned for the beginning of March 2016.