Fireplaces back in style
The rising cost of oil has led some people to look for an alternative source for heat in their homes, with the owners of Martin Sales & Service in Center Township being a prime example.
Amanda Martin, one of the owners of the shop, said about 95% of the business is associated with heating people's homes inside and outside. Martin Sales & Service mainly deals in fireplaces, and has several options people can choose from — namely gas, wood and pellet products — when looking to install a fireplace in their homes.
The Martins are pellet fireplace users.
“My husband and I heat our home with pellet heat — for the whole winter it was about $1,000,” Martin said. “With pellet, you get a high heat output without as much work as splitting wood.”
Martin Sales & Service has a showroom, where visitors can see what kind of fireplace would best fit their space. Martin said people come in looking at options for existing fireplaces as well as installation options, and the business has a professional installation crew for either choice.
Martin said she and the staff of the business recommend fireplaces based on the space they will occupy. People who have a fireplace in their home that has been decommissioned can still make use of the space, she said, with some masonry or slide-in fireplaces. All of the business’ products are vented, so they can pretty much all work in whatever home they are installed in.
“We have our own install crew, service technician department, we have people who are trained, so when you are calling in and asking questions you are speaking with someone who knows,” Martin said.
The type of fuel Martin recommends also depends on what a person is looking for. “With gas,” she said, “we look at it as zone heating, heating the room you're in, where people are spending a lot of time anyway.”
And while wood-fueled fireplaces are still classic, and often used outdoors, Martin said pellet fireplaces are also good outdoor options, because pellets are good fuel for linear fireplaces.
“I would say definitely pellet in our area is an alternative heat source, but the linear style fireplaces that are long and thin are becoming more popular than the square fireplace,” Martin said.
According to Martin, Martin Sales & Service began seeing an uptick in fireplace sales around 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic caused people to spend more time indoors. Martin said the aesthetics of fireplaces have also come a long way in recent years, with the amenity becoming an attractive centerpiece in the home.
“It doesn't have to be something that is steel and classical,” Martin said. “We sell a lot of colored porcelain enamel, red, dark hunter green is a very popular option.”
