Cozy up with fireside warmth, kingston

by Anne Pyburn Craig

August 18, 2022

“The excitement of lighting the first fire for the customer, seeing their excitement, is what makes each day of work enjoyable & rewarding.” – Fireside Warmth sales manager John Mountford

As the nights grow longer and the breezes cool, it’s a wonderful thing—not to mention a survival essential here in our gorgeous Northeast—to have a warm, cozy space. If you’re interested in being able to do that without being at the mercy of oil and gas prices, you should get to know the family at Fireside Warmth. Back in the 1970s, oil was scarce and expensive. (They say that if history doesn’t exactly repeat itself, it certainly rhymes.) Clair Sheaffer and Jane Marchant, a father-and-daughter team from Kingston, believed that Hudson Valley and Catskills folks deserved more options when it came to keeping warm: Fireside Warmth was founded in 1975, rapidly becoming the area’s expert source for hearth products, with everything people needed for heating independence.

Jane’s son Mike would later take over as president, and as alternative heating technology has expanded, so have the options at Fireside Warmth. But one thing hasn’t changed: the passion of the Fireside family for keeping you warm.

“Every day is a new adventure, and no two jobs are the same,” says sales manager John Mountford. “The excitement of lighting the first fire for the customer, seeing their excitement, is what makes each day of work enjoyable & rewarding. We have a team that works great together; most employees have been with Fireside for over 10 years. Our installers spend the summer months attending factory trainings throughout the Northeast, staying current with new designs and technology; they can accomplish things for you that most wouldn’t attempt.”

Fireside Warmth was founded in 1975, becoming the area’s expert source for hearth products, with everything needed for heating independence.

Buying a hearth-of-the-home heat source from Fireside is the beginning of a relationship that doesn’t end when the installers are done. They service everything they sell, offer annual maintenance, and supply bagged fuel, including top-grade, clean-burning anthracite and smithing coal. “Our customers know we are here to help,” says Mountford. “We’ve had many repeat customers, whether for a new appliance in the same house, or because they’ve purchased a new home and miss their alternative heating. We’ve also had the opportunity to serve multiple generations of customers—as the children grow up and purchase a home of their own, they come to us for their heating needs.”

When you’re talking about home heating, there’s no margin for error. “When installations and service jobs aren’t done correctly, the risk of property damage and personal injury is just too high,” Mountford says. “We take all installations seriously, as if this was our own home and family. No corners are cut, and all installations require a building permit.”

Clair and Jane began with a small shop in Hurley, but quickly realized they needed more space and moved to their current spot, four miles west of Kingston on Rt. 28, in the late ‘70s.

Today, the Fireside Warmth showroom is one of the biggest in the region, offering state-of-the-art pellet, wood, and gas stoves, wood and gas fireplaces, and Keystoker coal stoves; the Fireside team is constantly researching the newest, cleanest, safest, and most efficient products to offer the best alternative heating available. “We started out as a mostly seasonal business, with high demand in colder months and quiet days in warmer months,” says John.

“We’ve had so many repeat customers. We’ve also had the opportunity to serve multiple generations of customers— as the children grow up and purchase a home of their own, they come to us for their heating needs.” – Sales manager John Mountfor

“We are now busy with sales and installations year round, and doing maintenance and cleaning during the warmer months. And like everyone else, we’re still working through the whole ‘return to normal’ idea. The supply shortages of new products and overwhelming fuel cost for the upcoming winter season are keeping us busy. The demand for new products has kept manufacturers scrambling. Our plan is to keep looking ahead at demand and markets, and make adjustments to our business to ensure we have the products we need. Being independent gives us the ability to adapt and stay flexible.”

Over the decades, our full-service hearth folks have become woven into the fabric of the HV and the Cats; gathering the independent-minded into its warm embrace. “We have a blend of customers from all walks of life,” says John, “local residents who depend on alternative heating during the colder months, second-homeowners who enjoy the warmth, benefits, and flexibility while spending time at weekend homes. We have met and worked with so many people, each with unique, specific conditions and the desire to be warm and comfortable. And from the initial search for the ideal product to the finishing pieces being installed, we seem to form friendships that outlast the project.”

fireside warmth
901 State Route 28, Kingston 845-331-5656
firesidewarmthonline.com Store Hours: Tues.-Fri. 9am-5pm Sat. 9am-4pm