R&A Magazine - Winter 2023 - 8

the latest on
before
FIREPLACES
Home of America's Largest Mendota Fireplace D
Just off Rt. 30 in Gap (832 Pequea Ave)
www.lanchestergh.com
717.442.8794
by Sam Jay Stoltzfus
Owner
LanChester Grill & Hearth, LLC
B
eing in the fireplace business
for over 26 years,
I'm often asked, " What's
new and exciting in the
fireplace industry these days? " And,
to the surprise of many, I ask them
" how much time do you have? " All
joking aside, there have been some
exciting advances in the industry of
late-but they've been a long-time
coming. Let me explain...
From 2017 through 2020, fireplace
manufactures put a lot of time and
effort into updating their products,
adding new models, new logs, new
fronts, and new features to name a
few. As a retailer, it was an exciting
time and, for us at LanChester Grill &
Hearth, a very busy time upgrading
our showroom to display all the new
products.
From a consumer's perspective, it
was an exciting time for them as
well-given all the products we had
8 - R&A MAGAZINE - WINTER 2023
on display with so many options to
choose from and even some with
customization possibilities. All of
which, I believe, led to a great experience
for the consumer in choosing
the right fireplace for the style of their
home and personal taste AND having
them in stock for timely installation.
As pretty much all over, Covid made
things quite challenging the past
three years. While sales remained
robust, the manufactures have
struggled mightily to keep up with demand.
A year ago, it was not uncommon
to have to wait 2 to 5 months
for some fireplaces to be delivered
to our warehouse. Thankfully, wait
times have been reduced dramatically
with deliveries ranging from
as low as 2 weeks up to 3 months
for selected models. And now, with
things pointing in the direction of
returning to normal, I'm happy to
report that fireplace manufactures
are once again working on research
and development of new designs to
fit more spaces and more unique
features-including more realistic
flames. This wasn't the case during
the peak Covid years.
As for specific updates by type of fireplace,
let's address them individually.
Gas Fireplaces
With gas prices today, why be excited
about gas fireplaces? Gas prices
have always gone up and down and
probably will continue to do so. It's
not something we can control, but we
can control how we harness the benefits.
With electronic ignition, battery
backup systems, and remote control,
gas fireplaces are extremely easy to
use--including during a power outage!
You can set the thermostat just like
a furnace and leave for days if you
elect to do so. Historically, natural
gas and even propane costs less
than fuel oil. Another attractive feature
in comparing gas to coal, wood
http://www.lanchestergh.com
R&A Magazine - Winter 2023

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