February 2016

February 2016 Articles

Perspective

What began as a hearth shop in the late ’70s slowly evolved through the years to become a purveyor of upscale patio furniture, barbecues, spas and saunas.

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Scholar of Smoke and Sauce

By Lisa Readie Mayer

Steven Raichlen first taught himself outdoor cooking; now he’s in the process of teaching the world.

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Controlling Destiny

By Bill Sendelback

Tony James used his design and engineering talents to create his own company - Woodbridge Fireplace.

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A Tale of Two Friends

By Tom Lassiter

Fritz Walter and Charles Vernon have joined together “to create the best shade company in the world.”

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Perfect Timing

By Richard Wright

Empire Distributing’s diversification into outdoor products came at just the right time.

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Outdoor Elegance

By Bill Sendelback

Rather late to the party, outdoor fireplaces showed strong growth in 2015; now’s the time for retailers to jump in.

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A Fire Pit is Really an Affordable Lifestyle in a Box

By Bill Sendelback

Fire pits are the hottest product in the rapidly growing Outdoor Room market. No industry data supports that claim, but with scores of manufacturers offering fire pits, and most reporting very strong sales, it’s safe to assume that is the case.

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Two HOT Categories

By Lisa Readie Mayer

Consumers are embracing smokers and kamados; if you’re a specialty retailer, you should as well.

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Visionaries

By Lisa Readie Mayer

Vision Grills adds modern features to ancient kamados.

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2015 Patio Retail Survey Report

At the beginning of November, Hearth & Home sent a questionnaire to 1,153 patio retailers; a total of 132 were returned completed and usable.

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Forever Brown

By Tom Lassiter

It’s beginning to look a lot like … brown will remain the dominant color for resin wicker for a while longer.

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2015 December Business Climate

In early January, Hearth & Home faxed a survey to 2,500 specialty retailers of hearth, barbecue and patio products, asking them to compare December 2015 sales to December 2014. The accompanying charts and selected comments are from the 208 useable returns.

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