Charlestown Woodburners And Fires St Austell Cornwall – Family Run Business
COME AND VISIT OUR FRIENDLY SHOWROOM STAFF
Charlestown Woodburners And Fires based in St Austell, Cornwall are a family run buisines by Geoff and Mandy Bate. We feel that its important and also interesting for customers to have some background information on who we are so they feel comfortable and know who they are dealing with.
Geoff: I’d worked for 16 years as a plumbing and heating specialist, and had noticed an increase in people asking me to fit woodburning stoves. I went on a day training course in Exeter, with the sole intention of being able to fit stoves; while there, I met a couple of sales reps there who told me they only sold stoves to showrooms. Within a couple of weeks, we’d found premises, secured a bank loan and opened a showroom in July 2015. It all happened very quickly. I really enjoy my work now – it’s so varied. If business continues to grow, my plan is to expand, taking on more engineers which in turn will reduce our lead time and diminish customers’ waiting time.
Mandy: When we opened the showroom in 2015, it was clear there was a role for me in managing the books. I’m a civil servant, working for the Department for Work and Pensions; I now do both part-time. It’s a family affair: our son Ryan, 23, works alongside Geoff as a handyman, and our computer whizz niece, Tracey, works in store. Then we have Justin, who is a HETAS engineer, and Dan, who is in training.
Not forgetting Nellie: Our springer spaniel/Labrador cross, who came to live with us two days before Christmas. We’d been 14 months without a dog; we previously had a German shepherd, but it really didn’t work with the shop. He was too boisterous, and we were working such long hours, it wasn’t fair, so he went to a loving home in Wales. Nellie fitted in from day one; everyone loves her, and customers often say they’ll come back just to see how she’s getting on.
