Originally opened as the Wood Stove Shop in 1970 in Van Buren, what is now County Stove Shop has been meeting Aroostook County’s heating needs for more than 45 years.
In its full-scale showroom located on the Presque Isle Road in Caribou, the shop sells wood, pellet, electric and gas stoves as well as fireplaces.
Because it sometimes seems that your home can never be warm enough in the winter, County Stove Shop also sells wood and pellet boilers, furnaces and oil/wood combinations. They also specialize in re-lining chimneys and have a “Chim-scan camera” to detect defective liners and a boom-lift to reach difficult chimneys.
Owners Wil, Sonia and Pat Labbe, born and raised in the area, believe the reason they have successfully remained in the hearth product business for so long is because their experience, product knowledge and specialization provides quality service to the customers who keep coming back to the shop for their heating needs.
Attention to customer service is something the five employees of County Stove Shop take very seriously. Their serviceman is licensed by the state of Maine for oil, gas and fuel installation. He is also a master hearth professional, certified by the National Fireplace Institute, the only person north of Augusta with that certification.
The County Stove Shop introduced the first airtight wood burning stoves to the area. Over the years, they have sold many different brands and currently carry a diverse line of heating devices, including the Quadra-fire Mt. Vernon AE, which is the most acclaimed and awarded pellet stove.
The Quadra-fire Mt. Vernon AE burns pellets efficiently and can also burn corn, wheat, sunflower seeds, peanut hull pellets, pea pellets, switch grass pellets and other pelletized fuel. Fully automatic and thermostatically controlled, it can operate on a regular 12-volt battery.
The Labbes make it a point to test and monitor all units they sell. They are currently testing central heating systems such as Ogafen, Biowin, Minerva, Traeger, Eco-choice and other units. They test for efficiency, serviceability and electricity usage.
The County Stove Shop is open 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. on Saturday. Some of their product line can be viewed at www.countystoveshop.com. Additional information can be obtained by calling 498-8572 or e-mailing stoveshop@maine.rr.com.
