Time flies when you’re at a trade show. Whether you measure the number of products seen, or conversations held, the truth is that you know you should have done more of both – but you ran out of time.

Since 2002 the National Fireplace Institute (NFI) has provided the hearth industry with a comprehensive and credible certification program. An industry-wide survey from 2016 provided crucial information about how the hearth industry has changed and what NFI should do in response.

In early March, Hearth & Home faxed a survey to 2,500 specialty retailers of hearth, patio, and barbecue products, asking them to compare February 2019 sales to February 2018. The accompanying charts and selected comments are from the 220 useable returns.

Originally planned as a modest three-season porch, it evolved into this, a striking 36x18-ft. four-season pavilion. Some of the 8-ft.-high floor-to-ceiling walls of glass open like French doors to the yard and have retractable, electronically operated screens mounted in their headers.