Well, I can’t believe it’s nearly the end of August. It is time to definitely get your stove head on and decide which one of our lovely stoves you are going to be toasting your toes in front of this winter. This year has gone by so fast, we got our unit at the beginning of September 2013 so it’s nearly two years ago now, amazing. It’s been a good year and the stoves seem to be getting more and more popular, and this year has definitely seen the bio ethanol burners take off. We are off to Frome agricultural and cheese show on 12th September so if you are in the area pop in and say Hi, we are on stand K14, opposite the Craft tent. Tom is just on his way back from a buying trip and we have tried to get some different stoves this time including this very interesting looking one below. I am dying to see it as I only found it last minute when he was at a loose end on Sunday. I love it when that happens.
Well I just realised that I haven’t updated my blog for some time as summer has now arrived (sort of). It has been a very busy month or two. We got back from France a couple of weeks ago with a van load of wood burners. Our van has decided to confound our usual garage at only 4 years old, so we are taking it off to Citroen this week to see if they can work out what is wrong with it and then we’re selling it as we need reliablity. We had to borrow a van from Mercedes as a test drive when we went over to France to put it throught it’s paces, sadly we didn’t like it at all so now we are looking at the new Transit. Watch this space. Apart from that we have definitely noticed an upturn in bio ethanol sales for our wood burners. It means that people can have one of our lovely stoves whatever their situation as you don’t need a flue so it opens things up to anyone who can afford a stove ( I realise that does not mean everyone and a lot of people ar still feeling the effect of ‘austerity’ but don’t start me…)
We are also looking to update our website over the next couple of months once I get to grips with the new software so it will depend on how intelligent I am feeling (could be years…) meanwhile enjoy the sun while it shines.
I can’t believe it is St Paddy’s day already, I’m a year older, and Spring is definitely on the way. Tom and I went to France 2 weeks ago on a bit of a flying trip. It was the French school holidays whcih was bad timing (we should know better) but we managed to get some really different, interesting stoves including this Beauty (literally) below. We have already sold some of them but it is always good to get different stock in and makes a change from the usual Lilys, Chauffettes etc. We have found since Christmas that we have been selling a lot more stoves with bio ethanol boxes and even had one guy buy one, and the day after he receievd it, ordered another one for his bedroom! They are brilliant because, though they don’t fit every stove, they do open up the possibility of a gorgeous French stove to everyone as no flue is needed. Great for these nights when sometimes it is cold enough for central heating and sometimes you just want a bit of heat in the sitting room or conservatory. Well worth a look. You can literally buy it, take it home and light it! Anyway, I am trying to get my books up to date so I had better press on.
Thought I had better update my blog as I haven’t been on here since December and we are now in February already. Christmas seems a long time ago now and the nights are getting lighter so I am travelling home in the light which is brilliant. So depressing when you go to and from work in the dark. As expected we had a quiet start to the year as everyone is catching up on the expense of Christmas but now the first pay day has passed, stoves are going to their new homes and plenty of good enquiries coming in as well. We are hopefully off to France in the next two or three weeks to find some different stoves. We have a good selection of the usual suspects at the mo but will be looking out for some different ones as well. We seem to be selling a lot more Bio Ethanol burners. They are so clever because even if you don’t have a chimney or a flue you can use one. We have even had people buy them for stoves which they use as conventional wood burners and they use them on the days when they only want it on for an hour or two or they just can’t be bothered to light a conventional fire. Check out our video on the front page if you haven’t seen them in action. Wishing you all a very belated 2015.
Well it is nearly 2 weeks until the big day, it’s gone so quickly this year. We have been getting into the spirit of things, we went to a lovely Winter Brocante at Petworth House at the beginning of the month which was fun and very festive then we were at Royal Wootton Bassett last week, nothing to do with stoves, selling mulled wine which was absolutely mad busy and now we are just building up to have a couple of weeks off over the festive time. We still come in for special customers’ appointments but that’s it apart from that, bubbly and smoked salmon all the way. We will put the tree up at home this weekend all being well and then you really start to get in mood, though I have cheated and got 3 lovely silvery, willow cone trees up in the dining room already. We don’t really need it but we are going to take a wood burner home for Christmas with an ethanol burner for the conservatory so that will be jolly and more interesting to look at than underfloor heating. Anyway, have a cool yule yourselves (or a nice snuggy one if you have one of our burners).
Busy times here at the French Barn. We have sold some of my favourite stoves over the last few weeks including the oldest stove we have ever had, made by Huet & Cie. It has gone to a suitably impressive sounding house so at least that is something to be thankful for knowing it has a good resting place. Apart from that it has been fun, customers have come in having reserved a particular stove and gone out with not just one but two completely different stoves, people have bought ethanol burners so they can have a stove in their conservatory etc etc. We have also had a mention in Homes and Antiques magazine who did a feature on fireplaces and had one of our stoves in their top 5 stoves so that was brilliant. Now to get ready for the Christmas rush and we are off to France next weekend for the next batch of beauties, trying to pick up a few more front loaders (well that’s the plan but anything could happen).
Well I finally think Autumn is arriving though we have had great weather haven’t we? But I notice the trees are definitely starting to lose their leaves and I think I really must retire my sandals soon which I hate doingas I know I will then be stuck in boots for months. We have certainly had a busy season up to know, August and September being especially strong. We ar getting lots of enquiries at the moment as people are starting to realise that the glorious summer we have been enjoying isn’t going to last forever and suddenly the prospoect of snuggling up in front of a toasty wood burner, especially one as beautiful as ours, seems very appealing, add in a nice bottle of wine and you’re away. We are currently arranging some fairs and shows for the coming few months and rumour has it we are going to be Homes and Antiques magazine next month so all is good in the world.
This is a photo of the square in Bethune which has the bell tower on it from the 1300s. we stayed overnight here on Friday on our latest buying trip. Great B&B if you’re ever there called City Relax Bethune. Run by a great couple with only 3 rooms but each room has a relaxing theme to it. So ours had an excercise bike, one had a massage chair etc. There was also a suana for clients use. We had a sucessful trip and got some great stoves which we have never had before, one from a company called Huet from 1860 in stunning condition. Must have been in a very impressive fireplace as it’s huge and very ornate, a real head turner. We are hoping the passport crisis has passed as ours both run out in early September and we can’t make up our minds whether to leave it till the last minute to renew or do them now and hope they come back quickly. I might wait till they run out just in case some good stoves come on between now and then. If Tom sent his off now then we should be covered. Showroom is looked good and well stocked though we have had a very busy start to August. Enjoy the weather whilst it lasts.
Unbelievably the sun is still shining and it really does feel like we are having a proper summer. I can’t bear it when it gets really hot but this is lovely. I am trying to get my act together to go across to France and buy some more stoves but I have been spoiled by us going together and we can’t do that this time as our daughter Lucy has got a summer job at the very upmarket (ex Kate Middleton) Marlborough College whilst they have their summer for school. This necessitates early starts and she needs a lift in 2 mornings a week as there are no buses that early so one of us has to stay to carry out our parental duties and look after the animals. I am putting it off but I really must do it before the French all go on their ‘vacances’ in August. We are still selling stoves very steadily which is still a surprise given the weather and time of year. A lot of people we are getting through the showroom are mentioning the fact that they love having a showroom to come and see them before they buy (and often change their mind once they see them all) and they are very surprised that no-one else seems to do this, I am certainly very sceptical of any website which does not have UK contact details with a landline and UK address. The stoves are often 80 years old and you want to know that there is someone to sort out a problem should one arise. Still, I shouldn’t complain, it’s our gain. well I’d better go and hunt out some new stock over in France and get that ferry booked.
Well summer is finally upon us, Wimbledon has started and all is well in the world. Stove sales are still brisk which is great as we thought they would die down a bit in the summer but they just seem to be getting better and better. We have been having a big push to introduce a bit more furniture and bits and pieces into the showroom to make it more interesting. We have some exceptionally lovely pieces which Tom has worked his magic on to turn them into something exceptional. We have tried to theme it so that it is inkeeping with our French Barn and I think we have succeeded on the whole. So why not pop in and have a look at what we have got? We usually have the kettle or coffee machine on so come and have a natter and discuss your requirements and we will see what we can do. Meanwhile, make the most of the sunshine as it is bound to be raining at the weekend in time for Glastonbury!
Well what a busy time we have been having. Work and sales have been extremely good and plentiful but also we have moved house and you all know what a performance that is. We have done it in stages and moved all our outside stuff to work as we have a lot of it and then spent 2 days gradually moving the contents of the house. Now all we have to do is find the right place for everything. It is exciting though and we are happy to be back in a village with a real sense of community. Can’t wait to have enough energy to get stuck in. From a work point of view, we have been very busy and had some delightful clients who have fallen in love with one stove or another. We have also done quite a lot of sourcing specific stoves for people who know exactly what they wanted which is always satisfying especially when you know they have probably asked other stove suppliers the same question and we have managed to source the right stove within a good time scale. Love it. Now we can settle into work and go and get some more stoves. Make the most of this beautiful weatrher we are enjoying at the moment.
Well, what a busy month, definitely our best since we began. All the hard work is beginning to pay off. People seem to be loving the stoves. We have been over to France 3 times this month which is a record for us. I feel we have a good range of stock to suit everyone. I am very excited about our new Bio Ethanol burners which fit some of our stoves, though not all. They are a great compromise for people who would likw one of our stoves but don’t have a flue or the facility to install one. Particularly relevant if you already have central heating and just want a bit of heat and the look of a wood burner as they give out up to 3Kw.
We are about to move home in the next couple of weeks and then after that we are going to arrange an open day (somewhat late) but better late than never. So watch our FB page for your invitation and come and join us for a galss of wine and a look at our current stock. Have a great bank holiday weekend.
We have had an extraordinarily busy week or two with stoves going off all over the world. The internet is a truly amazing thing. It would be terribly hard to run this business without it or a sat nav! Many of our customers have said like the fact that it is very easy to see on our website exactly what is for sale without trawling through loads of already sold stoves or stoves which say sold but repeatable. We have tried to go for clarity and it certainly seems to be paying off. We have managed to push our google ratings so we regularly come up in the top 3 or 4 if you google french antique stoves or similar which is brilliant. We have over 2700 likes on Facebook and climbing and it all makes a difference. This is a stove we managed to source remarkably quickly for a good client of ours who knows exactly what he wants and we are finding more and more that clients are looking for particular stoves though we are still getting a lot of people just choosing one of our stoves in stock. It is very satisfying to hunt down the right model in the correct colour and condition, restore it and then see the customer’s face light up. A recent reaction being “Amanda, it looks bloody gorgeous. Mine, mine, mine” what could be better? Have a good weekend.
Well another busy week. These two beauties are off to Florida. That surprised me at first but the client assured me that it wasn’t always as hot as we think over there. She has bought them to use them and also, more importantly, as an inheritance for her daughter. Isn’t that lovely? I shall miss them both as they are both such stunning examples and in such good condition. I was so amazed to find the Godin Lemaire which is from around 1860/70 so complete. I have never seen one with the protective back plate in the firebox, just brilliant. Off to St Malo tomorrow searching for a few more to add to our stock.
Well we have recovered from our mad trip last week to France. We covered over 1000 miles in 3 days and went from Loches to Poitiers, right down to Grezes and then up to Orleans before returning to Caen for the ferry home. Quite a journey but we got some really good fires, a bit different (like this unrestored beauty from around 1860/70 and had a couple of good meals inbetween. Now we are back home it is lovely and sunny if a bit chilly but then all you need to do is light the wood burner and you’re toasty.
The sun has finally arrived in time for our birthdays (the day after one another) which always makes you feel better. We have had a big push and more or less finished the showroom, divding walls erected, new inner entrance doors and windows and we are ready to rock and roll. Now we can start getting some other stock apart from wood burners. We had some good sales last week, one notably to a lovely family who are building an extension and want us to source various furniture, fireplaces, lights etc. It then occurred to me that this might be a good route to go down and offer to source specific items from France for clients, so if there’s something you need, please ask.