In 1974, Jean Duggan decided she wanted a wood stove. There was only one problem: she lived in Florida. After doing her research and looking extensively, Jean managed to get her hands on a Fisher Grandma Wood Stove and fell in love with it. She realized that with the Oil Embargo ongoing, people were desperate for alternative heaters and wood stoves were the perfect solution.
Armed with her newly acquired knowledge, she reached out to manufacturers. "You'll never sell wood stoves in Florida" was the response from some, but the mother of four convinced one to give her a shot. She started selling them out of her living room on weekends (much to the annoyance of her children that were still at home, as they had to turn off their cartoons) until the business grew into needing a mini warehouse, then the corner of a plant store, then a small storefront of its own, and then, finally, its current location on Main Street in downtown Gainesville, Florida.
Over the decades, Jean and her son Kerry expanded The Wood Stove's offerings to include a variety of indoor and outdoor products (including built-in gas and wood-burning fireplaces, charcoal grills, and electric fireplaces). The Wood Stove is now one of the leading hearth stores in Florida.
After retirment in 2006, Jean passed the baton to Kerry, who has been a part of the business since day one and is carrying on her legacy and passion for hearth products. In 2018, his daughter Kaitlin joined him (someone has to explain how Facebook works) to continue the family business.
352-377-9535
611 North Main Street Gainesville FL 32601