ATTENTION ALL
03/21/2024
As a follow-on to the letter below, I would like to inform anyone that has arrived at this site that we are still not "commercially" making stoves/grills, however, due to an overwhelming amount of requests over the past 4 years, orders will be taken on a case-by-case basis if you are only in the market for what we have created here at SRWS. I intend to release plans/schematics in the near future for purchase so that your local fabricator or yourself can replicate many of our popular options too, but I don't have a set date for that yet.
Please understand: I am a father to two young boys first and have a full-time career second, so I can only do this work on weekends should I agree to it. The times have also changed, and with them so have the costs of goods and services, so if the price list doesn't look like how you remember, that is because I've made an honest go at making it reflect over a decade of change. If none of this has scared you away yet, give me a call and we can talk about how to make your barrel stove a reality!
Cheers and sincerest regards,
Blaine the Younger
12/01/2018
An open letter to our customers, new and old,
Hello everyone and thank you for your patronage of Second Round Wood Stoves! I wanted to take this opportunity to address you all collectively, as to do so individually would take quite some time.
When I started this business some 8 years ago, never in my wildest dreams did I believe we would be here where we are now. You have made us the number one searched item in home made wood stoves across the internet, and that is saying something. For a guy who built this business from the bottom, and made and designed the website himself, I never would have believed it possible…yet here we are. You, our customers, have made us what we are today, and for that I am truly grateful and thankful. We have the best customers in the world (literally, as we are now in 7 different countries) and I wanted to thank each and every one of you personally as finish our 8th season.
It is bittersweet, then, that I announce this will be the final season Second Round Wood Stoves will be in business, at least as it exists today. We have gone through many upgrades and changes since I began building stoves out of my shop. Many of you know my son now handles the day to day business. Those of you who became customers last year dealt exclusively with him, and I know your dealings were positive. He was once again at the helm this year, however life being what it is, and with his school schedule taking him out of town next year, I am forced to confront the reality that I do not have the time nor means to continue my duties as head of fabrication as well as owner. To be sure, I could hire someone to do the work, but then it would lose something as we have always been a family business. That is always a point I have taken an intense amount of pride in.
I have not decided yet as to whether I will sell this business. Part of me wants to see it continue and go to a “deserving home” provided they would be good stewards of the company, however a selfish part of me (I’m only human after all) wants to be there for the door closing for the last time. Time will tell, and should I sell, I will of course refer to the new owner. For now, at least, I’m enjoying the last season as it winds down.
To all who have helped me along the way I wanted to give a personal “Thank-you”. Joseph, Cody, Chadley, Victoria, Jo Ann, Brynne, Blaine, Justin, Trevin, Skylar, Matt, Ian, and any other one of you who has learned to cut metal, weld, measure, mark, hold, drive, deliver, or just keep us company I say “Thank-you so very much” because without each and every one of you, we simply wouldn’t be where we are today. Businesses don’t succeed without great teams and collaboration, and this one is no exception. To any one who I may have missed, please accept my apology. It was not intentional. To my vendors who understood when I was short on cash, and still came to my aid, I say a huge “Thank-you” as well for trusting my vision and believing in my small company. You always made us feel like we were just as good as the big guys.
Thank you again to all of you who believed in us, purchased from us, and made us more successful that we could have ever imagined! We absolutely couldn’t have done it without you.
Sincerely,
D. Blaine Porter
Owner, Second Round Wood Stoves, LLC
Camping and Outdoors