1

                                                               Exhibit (a)(5)(A)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Wolohan Contacts:

<Table>
                                               
James L. Wolohan                                  John A. Sieggreen
President and CEO                                 Executive Vice President and COO
(989) 793-4532 (Ext. 248)                         (989) 793-4532 (Ext. 246)
</Table>

                   WOLOHAN LUMBER CO. ANNOUNCES TENDER OFFER
                              FOR ITS COMMON STOCK

     Saginaw, Michigan, August 2, 2001 -- Wolohan Lumber Co. (NASDAQ: WLHN)
today announced that it will commence a tender offer to purchase up to 1,500,000
shares, or approximately 45 percent, of its outstanding common stock. The
Company intends to finance the repurchase through cash on hand and from
borrowings under its existing bank credit facility.

     According to James L. Wolohan, President and Chief Executive Officer of
Wolohan Lumber Co., "We are making the offer to afford to those shareholders who
desire liquidity an opportunity to sell all or a portion of their shares without
the usual transaction costs associated with open market sales. The tender offer
provides shareholders with the opportunity to sell all or a portion of their
shares at a price which is higher than the prevailing market price for the
shares immediately prior to the announcement of the offer, and to do so with a
number of shares of their choice subject to the terms and conditions of this
offer. After the offer is completed, we expect to have sufficient cash flow and
access to other sources of capital to fund our working capital, physical plant
and other needs related to current operations in the foreseeable future.

     The Company plans to repurchase up to 1,500,000 shares of its common stock
at a price of $15.00 per share. The closing price of the Company's common stock
on Thursday, August 2, 2001 was $12.70 per share. Shareholders whose shares are
purchased in the offer will be paid the purchase price net in cash, without
interest, after expiration of the offer period.

     The Board of Directors of Wolohan Lumber Co. has approved the offer.
However, neither the Company nor its Board of Directors is making any
recommendation to the shareholders as to whether to tender or refrain from
tendering their shares. Shareholders must make their own decision as to whether
to tender their shares and, if so, how many shares to tender.

     THIS PRESS RELEASE IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY AND IS NOT AN OFFER
TO BUY OR AN OFFER TO SELL ANY SHARES OF WOLOHAN'S COMMON STOCK. THE
SOLICITATION OF OFFERS TO BUY THE COMPANY'S COMMON STOCK WILL ONLY BE MADE
PURSUANT TO THE OFFER TO PURCHASE AND RELATED MATERIALS THAT THE COMPANY WILL BE
SENDING OUT TO ITS SHAREHOLDERS SHORTLY. SHAREHOLDERS SHOULD READ THOSE
MATERIALS CAREFULLY BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION, INCLUDING
THE VARIOUS TERMS AND CONDITIONS TO THE OFFER.

     The tender offer will expire on Friday, September 21, 2001 at 5:00 p.m.,
Eastern time, unless the Company elects to extend the offer. The offer is
subject to various conditions described in the Offer to Purchase.

About Wolohan Lumber Co.

     Wolohan Lumber Co. is a full-line retailer of lumber, building materials
and related products used primarily for new-home construction and
home-improvement projects. Headquartered in Saginaw, Michigan, Wolohan was
founded in 1964 with three stores and at August 2, 2001, thirty-three stores
were in operation under the names Wolohan Lumber and CML. The Company's primary
customer focus is the single-family homebuilder, commercial and multi-family
builder, remodeler and project-oriented consumer. Wolohan offers a wide range of
services including house design, delivery, installation, various financing
options and job-site contractor sales representatives with experienced store
support coordination.
   2

     This release may include information that could constitute forward-looking
statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities
Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Any such forward-looking statements may involve
risk and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from
any future results encompassed within the forward-looking statements. Factors
that could cause or contribute to such differences include those matters
disclosed in the Company's Securities and Exchange Commission filings.

                                        2