NO! you'd would probably seek out the best Brain surgeon your money could buy.

If you're wondering why in the world I'm talking about Doctors and Surgeons, when I should be talking about the Decorative Fireplaces you're probably looking for, then please read on...

Dear Visitor:

Before I tell you why it is I'm talking about doctors on a website that focuses on Decorative Faux Fireplaces, please take a minute to read a little introduction about myself...

My name is Ami Falquez, and I'm a 2nd Generation Brick and Mortar Furniture Retailer. Between my husband and I, we have many years of furniture retailing under our belts.  After many years of reading about all the business success stories on the Internet, I decided to dive head first into the daunting world of ecommerce. This was back in November 1999. During the peak of the Internet craze.

No, I didn't quite become the Internet millionaire I was hoping to be, however, I did discover that the Internet allowed me to expand our brick and mortar retail operation with a small investment.

This allowed me to try different approaches in my online retailing efforts. From my previous retail experience, it was ingrained in my head that the more "stuff" you could offer in your retail space, the more you'd sell.

While this is probably true with an offline retail operation, online I found that by creating big online stores, I was confusing most of my visitors and they were leaving without buying anything.
Sometimes less really is more!

Needless to say, I needed to try something different.

Although I have the infrastructure and capability to put up a huge online store selling hundreds if not thousands of widgets (in fact, my initial efforts, were based on a huge general furniture store), I decided to try a different approach instead. I've focused on opening small stores that are tightly focused in a small category.

The result, is a handful of small ecommerce sites that sell to very specific markets. Granted, this strategy does not generate huge volumes of business for me, but they create great synergy with my offline retail store, it allows me to reach a very targeted group of customers that I would otherwise never get a chance to offer my products to.

Let's talk about General Doctors and Brain Surgeons...

Let's say you have a need for a highly specialized brain surgeon... well, you will probably want the best that money can buy... and for that you will probably be talking to somebody that does brain surgery all day and every day... well, apply that analogy to a store...

A store that sells furniture and also sells decorative fireplaces, compared to a store that sells ONLY Decorative Fireplaces, will usually have a smaller selection, a less knowledgeable staff, and a much less personal service than the little store that deals with decorative fireplaces all day and every day. The little specialized "mom and pop" store will offer you a much more specialized knowledgeable staff, and a much more friendly warm service. You won't feel like your dealing with an institution where no one can resolve an issue or problem if you were to have one.

That pretty much sums up our operation...

Although I do have an offline retail store that sells several different types of furniture, believe it or not, we specialize in decorative and electric fireplaces. Because of that, I decided to setup an online store that specializes in Decorative Fireplaces. Granted, I could have setup a huge online furniture store, but because of my lack of technical know-how (I wish I was one of those computer geniuses!) and my previous experience, I decided to make a small but highly focused and specialized...

Internet Decorative Fireplace Super Store!

Because of that, you'll find that we offer a pretty wide selection of Decorative Faux Fireplaces. You'll also be able to call me and either me or someone on my staff will take your call and answer any questions that you might have about these decorative fireplaces. Whether it's a question about the product itself or a question about how or where a faux fireplace might fit in your home's decor or layout. Either me or someone in my staff will be there to take your call.

Another great thing about dealing with us, is that believe it or not, we actually manufacture these decorative fireplaces ourselves.

That's right, we're also in the manufacturing business, so you'll be buying directly from the source.

Ok, enough chit chat... let's talk now about our Decorative Faux Fireplaces...

What exactly is a Decorative Fireplace?

A decorative fireplace is a great way to add the coziness of a real fireplace to any room in your home.

A decorative fireplace is just what the name implies... its a DECORATIVE piece. It produces no heat and it doesn't create a flame.

A decorative fireplace is usually one of the best and most unique accent pieces you can add to your home. Usually, its an accent that you can put up against a wall where normally you might put a drab console or something else.

A decorative fireplace is a great inexpensive item that can give your room (maybe with a fresh coat of paint as well) a completely new make over at a very affordable price!
 

What are the benefits of a Decorative Faux Fireplace?

A decorative faux fireplace has several benefits, the main one being the ability that you can create the atmosphere created by a REAL fireplace but without the hassles of burning fuel, woods, gas, or other natural sources. You also won't have to clean up the mess after your fire is done, and you won't have to spend money on gas, wood, or whatever other element you use to burn up your fuel.

Another benefit of our decorative faux fireplaces, is the fact that you can move them around the house every once in a while just like furniture in case you want the fireplace in your room for example.

Its a great quick and easy way to change the room's atmosphere quickly and easily.

Very cheap to run... you can just plug the logset into any regular wall outlet. Turn it on, and bam.. .you have a crackling decorative fireplace going. Granted, your room won't heat up, but you'll have a nice cozy atmosphere going in your room.

Some Questions you may have...

• Will I have to put it together?
  No, the fireplace already comes completely assembled. All you have to do is place the log set and crate in the fireplace, run the wall connecter through the back, and plug it in. Your now done "assembling" your fireplace. You know, one of the great things about our fireplaces, is the fact that it comes completely assembled and is not "knock down". Knock down furniture = shabby furniture. Most of the furniture coming out of Asia is all knockdown. We manufacture our furniture in South America :-) .
  
  When something is knock down, not only do you have to put it together and spend countless of hours reading over some tiny photocopied "instruction manual" that require you to have a PhD. (as a side note: if your a gal, and your husband is anything like mine, he'll throw the instructions away and try and do it by instinct and take 3 times as long! :-).  in advanced geometric science, you'll also have furniture that will never quite be as sturdy as you'd like.
  
  The furniture will also become loose over the years and in the end, you'll wonder why you paid so much for such shabby furniture.
  
  Now don't get me wrong, I've personally bought furniture for my own home that is knock down, however, I just won't get knock down for something that everyone that comes to my home will probably see. Also, if I plan on keeping it for a long time, I know I should spend a couple of bucks more and get something that already comes assembled from the manufacturer. 
  
  Look at it this way, if you bought a car and you had to put it together, there is no doubt in my mind (and probably yours) that you'll have a couple of nuts and bolts left when your done putting the thing together :-) . Guess what, your car is probably gonna have several squeaky sounds here and there when your driving. Also, you're car will probably not stay together for long.
  
  Same goes for knock down furniture. After a few weeks or maybe (if your lucky and talented) a few months, your furniture will be falling apart.
   

• Delivery... How does it work?
  Good question... well, we pack everything up on a pallet, and then the pallet is sent to you via common carrier. You have the option to have "inside delivery". With inside delivery, the driver will place the fireplace in your garage, but they won't set it up. With curbside delivery the driver will take the fireplace off the truck and it will be your duty to bring the fireplace inside your house. To be honest with you, your best bet is to order our regular ground delivery service which is $135 and also add to your order an optional "dolly truck" for an additional $20. Then it will be a piece of cake to place the fireplace on top of your dolly and just roll it into your home.
   

• Can I put an electric fireplace insert in the decorative fireplace?
  The short answer is YES. The long answer... well here it goes...
  
  Yes, you can put electric firebox inserts into our decorative fireplaces, but you'll have to order a modified custom version of the decorative fireplace. Since WE ARE the manufacturer of these fireplaces, we can make these modifications for you. However, keep in mind, you'll have to wait several weeks for delivery. (usually around 8 to 10 weeks). If you're in no hurry, we will probably be your best option.

Why should you buy from us?

First off... we're a REAL COMPANY, not a college kid working out of his basement.

We're not some fly by night operation. In fact we have a REAL BRICK AND MORTAR STORE! (check out the pictures in our about us page). 

We also have a warehouse where we ship all of our stuff from. By the way, its OUR warehouse. We do not "drop ship" AND... we're in the process of opening up our SECOND real brick and mortar store. So yes, we are a real company and we are interested in gaining customers, not ripping people off. Its sad that the Internet is labeled as this shabby wild west style of commerce because of some bad apples and YES there *ARE* people getting ripped off left and right. But that's not our game here.

Our website doesn't offer you 2000 different products to give the impression of a huge company, however, we do offer about 2 to 300 different products in our retail stores and to our wholesale customers.

Second... we ARE the manufacturers... besides operating our own retail stores, we also have a medium sized manufacturing plant in South America. This is where we manufacture most of the furniture and fireplaces we sell in our own retail stores. Remember, we also sell some of our stuff to Furniture Stores across Florida.

What does it mean to buy directly from the manufacturer? Well, for one thing, you won't be paying retail prices. Also, should you have any problems quality wise, you can call us up and we'll take care of you.

Third... because we also deal with the retail public... we know what sells well and what the best sellers are. This allows me and my staff to give you great advice when you're trying to decide what to purchase.

Fourth...  we've been selling furniture for a loooooonnngggggg time... (over 30 years!) All of this adds up to experience. We know good furniture from bad furniture. I guarantee you, that you won't find another decorative fireplace that will give you this good of quality for the price.

Fifth...  We've specialized...
If you find another store selling decorative fireplaces, more than likely, you'll try calling their customer service to ask them some questions about the product, and more than likely, you'll see that they absolutely nothing about the product... call us instead and we'll tell you everything and anything you might want to know about our decorative fireplaces.

Ok, now here are the product specifications that you may be interested in...

• Several Finishes available.
  Most of our fireplaces come in either Crackled Antique, Cherry, Industrial Black, or Coffee Brown. You can order most of the Decorative Fireplaces in any of these colors. Granted, we tend to stock the decorative fireplace in the color you see in the picture, however, most of the time we also have other colors available.
   

• 12 Step Finishing Process
  The deciding factor between cheap and good quality furniture is usually the finish. Our fireplaces are manufactured using a 12 step process we developed to ensure a long lasting quality finish on your fireplace. With this 12 step finishing process, it takes 12 coats of different paints, and other chemicals to achieve a long lasting finish. Note: these 12 coats of paints and other layers of clear coats, etc are not applied at the same time. Instead, they are applied in a certain order and at different times of the manufacturing process.
   

• Hand Painted Accents on some models.
  Some models feature hand painted accents. These accents are meticously hand painted by our artists after the finish of the fireplace is applied. These striking accents give the fireplace that last touch of contrast that can make all the difference in the design.
   

• Hand Carved Accents
  Most of these fireplaces feature genuine hand carved accents. Do you know what its like to carve something out of nothing in a piece of wood? Well, out of curiosity, I tried it and the results were miserable failures. I just threw my hands up in the air and gave up. Since then, I've grown such a high respect for the artist (because that's what they are... ARTISTS!) that are able to literally carve all sorts of ornate things in pieces of wood. Most (if not all) of the intricate patterns you see on our fireplaces were carved by hand.
   

• Kiln Dried Woods
  Do you know that wood is alive and a breathing thing? Yes, you heard me correctly... wood absorbs and retains moisture in the air. When you first cut down a tree, it has a lot of water inside of it. If you were to make furniture with that piece of wood, the result would be furniture that would warp, bend, crack and what not.
  
  To make furniture that will stand the test of time, it has to be "dried out" in big enourmous Kiln Ovens made specifically for wood. This process is a science. The wood must be dried out to a moisture level of 8 to 10% to ensure that no cracks or warps appear later on in the furniture's life.
  
  We kiln dry all of our wood before we make the fireplaces, this is a big problem you'll face when buying low quality furniture. The furniture will crack and warp easily. However, even with kiln drying, you must be careful if you live in a very humid place. The wood will absorb some moisture in the air and regardless of whether the wood was originally kiln dried or not, you might have problems down the road.
   

• REAL WOOD USED.
  Believe it or not, we use REAL oak, cedar or high quality plywood to make our furniture. Nowadays, a lot of furniture is made with particle board. Our fireplaces feature real oak, cedar, plywoods and wood veneers to be constructed. Please go ahead and knock on the top of the fireplace when you first get it... you'll see what I'm talking about!
   

• NO Assembly Required!
  Our Fireplaces come completely assembled... in case you skipped down this long letter and decided not to read all of this message... here is what i said earlier about knock down furniture...
  
  "When something is knock down, not only do you have to put it together and spend countless of hours reading over some tiny photocopied "instruction manual" that require you to have a PhD. (as a side note: if your a gal, and your husband is anything like mine, he'll throw the instructions away and try and do it by instinct and take 3 times as long! :-).  in advanced geometric science, you'll also have furniture that will never quite be as sturdy as you'd like.
  
  The furniture will also become loose over the years and in the end, you'll wonder why you paid so much for such shabby furniture." scroll back up this letter to read more about knock down furniture...
   

• Heavy Furniture...
  What is the ultimate way to know if your buying good stuff or junk when dealing with furniture? Pick it up and see how heavy (or flimsy) it is...
  
  Most of our decorative fireplaces weigh around 200lbs. These fireplaces are very sturdy and feel very solid when you knock on them.
   

• No hidden extra charges for things that should be included!
  If you've shopped around, by now you see that the log set, screen, and log crate is crucial but usually not included. In fact, other merchants will charge you for these! I know it sucks when you guy buy a big ticket item and then they try and up-sell you all the little items that SHOULD be included but are not.
  
  We've included in the package of your fireplace, the log set, screen, and log crate. The only thing that we sell separately is the Tool Set. Which is NOT essential.

OK! I'm Sold! Now what?

If you're ready to place your order, then we're ready to take it... You can call us and place the order over the phone, or you can order online and receive an immediate $20 discount.

Why are we doing that you ask? Well its simple... we spend a lot of money on advertising, and for us to know which advertising is working and which is not, we need you to complete the order online. This will also allow for us to process your order in the most efficient manner, since all the information is automatically uploaded to our system and we'll be saving some man hours that can be spent elsewhere.

However, feel free to call us with any questions you may have. We have no problem answering your questions. If you just don't feel comfortable ordering online, that's not a problem... call us and we'll take your order over the phone.

Thanks for stopping by!

Regards,

Ami Falquez

A last little note about our decorative Fireplaces... they do not product any heat. The log set included makes a crackling sound and realistic looking flames. However, it does not produce any heat. You can buy a small heater from us that is placed underneath the log set, and that will provide *some* heated air. However, don't expect it to heat up your entire house.
 

Remember, as part of our fireplaces... you'll receive FREE OF CHARGE a log set, a screen, and a log set crate. Everything combined is a $200+ Value!!