So, it was a bit of rain, and a bit of heat, that disrupted an otherwise steady march to double-digit sales growth and a substantial increase in that bank account.

Dorothy and Frank Matthews started their first ‘legitimate’ hearth shop in 1986; they sold their business and retired a few months ago. This is their story.

In early November, Hearth & Home faxed a survey to 2,500 specialty retailers of hearth, patio, and barbecue products, asking them to compare October 2018 sales to October 2017. The accompanying charts and selected comments are from the 232 useable returns.

All of Elena Colombo’s sculptures are made for congregating around an outdoor fire. Many are made of bronze, which starts out as pink gold, goes to dark brown, and eventually to a verdigris green.