Once upon a time, when we first opened our electric fireplace shop, there was a single Canadian manufacturer of electric fireplaces. They were called Current Flame, and they made very high-quality, contemporary electric fireplaces in Ontario. We sold and installed quite a few, before they went out of business. They couldn’t compete on cost with other manufacturers who were making electric fireplaces in China. So, how do you ‘shop Canadian’ for an electric fireplace, if none are made here? We have a few tips to help you keep it as Canadian as possible when adding an electric fireplace to your home.
Shop Canadian – Look for local retailers of electric fireplaces
Local shops should be your first stop. A quick Google search of ‘electric fireplaces near me’ will yield any stores who claim to sell electric fireplaces. While we realize that this doesn’t always guarantee that they have a good selection in their showroom, it is a great place to start. A knowledgeable salesperson can save you a lot of time and help you to narrow down your search. Local shop owners are often your friends and neighbours; they live and do business in your town. They also create jobs in your area, which puts more money back into your local economy. They sponsor the local sports teams and support local charities. Give them a chance to show you what they can do.
Shop Canadian – Look for electric fireplace ecommerce sites owned by Canadian companies
Shopping online has never been more popular. It’s a great time-saver, and an easy place to do research. It’s particularly helpful when you don’t live near a local store that sells electric fireplaces. Unfortunately, it’s not so easy to sort the real Canadian websites from the imposters. American businesses know how loyal Canadian shoppers can be, and the smart ones are clever enough to add ‘Canada’ to their website name, as well as ‘.ca’. One way to root out the ‘fake Canadian’ sites is to look for their ‘Contact’ page. If there isn’t one, it may be part of a large conglomerate; in this case, scroll down to the bottom of the website page, and look for the master company. Do a search on the company, or click on the link to their website, and see where they are really located. You may be surprised to learn that they are not Canadian at all. This means that they are not providing jobs in Canada, nor supporting the Canadian economy. If they are offering better pricing, send a link to the closest Canadian competitor you can find, and give them a chance to match the price.
An example of an American imposter site trying to look Canadian is ElectricFireplacesCanada. If you scroll down to the bottom of their website, you will see a ‘Hearth Brands’ logo and a notation ‘part of the Hearth Brands family’. Click that link and it will take you to a website for RenovationBrands, whose contact page shows a map with the U.S. locations of all of their various subsidiaries. There are NO locations in Canada. One phone call to EFC customer service will also be a dead giveaway that you are speaking to someone in the U.S. Regardless of the location, people in call centers do not have direct access to the products they sell, and do not have the product knowledge that local dealers will have. You owe it to yourself to find someone closer to home.
Shop Canadian — Look for electric fireplaces manufactured by Canadian-owned companies
While no one manufacturers electric fireplaces in Canada, there are many Canadian manufacturers of electric fires with headquarters in this country. Here are some Canadian manufacturers that we work with:
- Amantii is located in Vancouver, BC https://amantii.com/contact-page/
- Dynasty is located in Richmond, BC https://dynastyfireplaces.com/pages/contact
- Napoleon is located in Barrie, ON https://www.napoleon.com/en/ca/company/contact-us
Shop Canadian – Look for electric fireplace manufacturers who make other products in Canada
The next best thing to purchasing a Canadian-made electric fireplace is to purchase from a fireplace manufacturer that makes some products here. Napoleon is a great example of this; they manufacture some of their products in Canada, although electric fireplaces are made offshore. They are a large employer in the Barrie, Ontario region, with their head office and support staff also residing there.
Dimplex is family-owned in Dublin, Ireland, with North American headquarters in Cambridge, ON, where they also do some research and development work https://www.dimplex.glendimplexamericas.com/en-ca/support/contact-us They have recently announced the opening of a manufacturing facility in London, ON, to make electric heaters.
The bottom line is that even if no one manufactures electric fireplaces in Canada, there are lots of other ways to ‘Shop Canadian’ when buying your next fireplace.
Stylish Fireplaces is proudly Canadian owned & operated in Vaughan, Ontario. Stylish Fireplaces knows that adding a fireplace to your home can be challenging. With an electric fireplace and their NFI Certified Hearth Design Specialists, it’s easy to create a space you’ll love to share with family and friends. Check out all the options and connect with their experts for help to find the perfect electric fireplace for you. You’ll live stylishly ever after.