More details as time allows, but FlameWorks has decided to close our doors...
We loved doing our best to bring the most efficient hearth products to your homes, but the time has come to call it quits. After putting everything we had into FlameWorks, we have not been able to make ends meet. We have exhausted all or savings and resources and have come up short. With the communication system problems adding to the obvious turn in the economy there is no other choice at this time. Recently enacted new laws and rising costs pushed everything over the edge, and the days of the focused, small hearth shop appear to be over. Manufactures of specialty (read - focused) hearth products are also seemingly ready to close their doors and even if FlameWorks was doing well, it appears the choice in products is going to be much less very soon.We most regret that the way the hearth industry is set up, there are very little options for support, but we are hoping that those trends will change.
Special Announcement
This is no surprise to most, but the economy is in rough shape and the hearth industry seems to be taking a toll heavier then average.
At least 15 hearth manufacturers are in bankruptcy... or are gone. Some believe that this summer the number will at least double.
Since our inception in 2004, FlameWorks has been a full-time venture - although many have supposed, because of our size, that it was always a "second job" or something similar. Well, now it is. In fact, at this time we are not seeking out any sales opportunities and are only maintaining our insurance, tools, etc... to service existing customers' stoves, furnaces and fireplaces.
The biggest hindrance to profitable operation now is financing. It is not even close to profitable to order one stove at a time, for one sale. The finance companies that supported the hearth industry have all pulled out of the market. Textron... GE... Advanta... all have stopped their "floor plans" and unless a dealer has tremendous amounts of cash, it is impossible to make the numbers work.
We do have about 50 models still on display and more in stock, but due to the nature of the hearth industry, this represents a tiny fraction of what is available.
Although we cannot predict the future, things do not appear to be turning around anytime soon.
- Until further notice our showroom is by appointment only.
- We had tremendous amount of difficulty trying to secure pellets for the 2009/10 season at a reasonable price... and the financing of pellets (a truck load is often almost $5,000) has also become a factor.
- At this time we have no available pellets but, we are actively working on options for pellet fuel the coming season, IF we can offer them at a price that is good for the public, and especially our customers.