Fireplaces have come a long way since the days of open hearths when most of the heat went up the chimney. Today’s fireplaces are designed to provide efficient heat with the ambience of old, and design features to complement any room.

Among the industry leaders is Regency Fireplace Products, a Canadian company based on four cornerstones: high quality, good value, clean burning efficiency, and beautiful aesthetics.

Thunder Bay’s authorized Regency dealer is Blaze Fireplace and Stone, a locally-owned family business started by Gary Marton in 2010.

With a staff of five, the business is growing fast with a wide range of wood stoves, wood inserts, wood fireplaces, gas stoves, gas fireplaces, electric fireplaces, pellet stoves, sauna stoves and barbecues.

“We provide complete turnkey fireplace installs or cash-and-carry to the customer’s needs,” Gary says.

Complementing the Regency line is a range of stone products – natural and manufactured – to finish the installation with beautiful aesthetics. ErthCOVERINGS has evolved into a North American leader in the distribution of high-quality, natural stone veneers. Alternatively, builders and clients are increasingly turning toward manufactured stone to increase the ‘wow’ factor for their homes and offices.

As owner and manager of Blaze, Gary personally handles customer contact, estimates and scheduling. His consultants can help you pick the fireplace product that is right for you, in addition to choosing the right stone accents to complement it.

With a background in sales and customer service, Blaze’s business model is based on a simple idea: “Customer satisfaction is our primary goal and good things will happen when your customers are happy.”

Gary says he aims to provide a fun but professional environment for customers and employees alike.

“We are motivated to do our best work on every job and yet learn to improve our product and service whenever possible,” he says.

After nine years in business, Marton says it is surprising and pleasant to see how often customers return to purchase other products.

“That validates that we did a good job for them and we appreciate their trust,” he says.