And apparently so do a growing number of Alaska families as the Michaud's family fireplace and woodstove business continues to grow in the Matanuska Valley.

The showroom of Alaska Fireplace & Accessories, at Mile 50 of Parks Highway, on the far side of Wasilla, features more than 50 stoves and fireplaces, accommodating fuels ranging from wood to natural gas.

Owner Dan Michaud knows that everyone coming through his showroom door has one thing in common - a desire for heat.

"I qualify each person's needs," he said. "First I ask if it is a primary heat source, and then I ask 'what else are you looking for?'"

Michaud tells them "if you want efficient wood burning, get a wood stove, not a fireplace."

Michaud, his wife, Susan, and their son, Jonathan, have a wealth of information on stoves, fireplaces and accessories. They offer free consultations on heating needs and installation of the stoves and fireplaces. Many buyers, including contractors, do their own installations, but the service is also available from the Michauds.

The family opened Alaska Fireplace & Accessories in January 1996, after selling their home, tree farm and chimney business in Readfield, Maine. Customers seek out their shop, in a one-time pizza parlor, from all over the state in search of stoves that can be fueled with wood, propane, fuel oil or natural gas.

The family migrated to Alaska in the autumn of 1995, after both parents were downsized out of their old jobs.

Dan had been a production controller in Augusta, Maine, with the Digital Equipment Corp. when he lost his job to company downsizing, he said.

"I walked over to my house and started a business called Maine-ly Chimneys," he said. He built and cleaned chimneys and also taught his young son the trade.

"Eighteen months later, my wife got downsized," he said. "It was my place and my time to come here. I said let's go to Alaska."

Three months later, the Michauds started driving north.

Passing the torch in Palmer

Jonathan Michaud, who learned chimney sweeping from his dad, recently completed studies for a degree in business management from the University of Alaska Anchorage. The younger Michaud will be opening the family's new store in Palmer, probably in February.

Schooled by his parents in the finer points of the business, Jonathan Michaud is at ease explaining the intricacies of the stoves to customers like Mickey Boyer. Boyer, a minister with the Church of the Nazarene in Palmer, stopped by on a rainy, windy winter day, looking to upgrade from a 50 gallon barrel wood stove for a remote family cabin.

"For a remote area, the choice is either propane or wood and we have 1,000 trees on the property," he said.

The minister listened as Jonathan Michaud explained the burn rate range and efficiency of several wood stoves. Boyer then photographed a few with his digital camera and said he would be back.

Several more customers wandered in, and were guided by the Michauds through the selection process, from a variety of gas-fired and wood stoves to natural gas fireplaces.

"We have people buying us flowers, candy, dinner ... all because we answer their questions," Dan Michaud said. "We take time to research their questions and answer their questions, whether they buy their stove here or not. We have a lot of repeat customers."

For a customer seeking to upgrade from an older model wood stove to heat the entire house, he recommends a brand called the Blaze King. From Walla Walla, Wash., the Blaze King has a bi-metallic air controller and catalytic combustor, which enables the wood to burn cleaner and more slowly.

"It's the best American-made stove with those features," Dan Michaud said.

Michaud says American stoves are now becoming almost a rarity.

"Back in 1980, there were 488 manufacturers of wood stoves in America," he said. "Today there are only 12 major players. Most of the stuff in the shop was made overseas." Indeed, the selection of stoves available that day came from Norway, England, Spain, France, Canada, China and South Africa.

In the nine years they have been in business, the Michauds have seen their business grow along with the population of the Matanuska-Susitna Valley. They now advertise their products and services on several television channels in the Anchorage Bowl.

"We don't capture the whole market," Dan Michaud said. "We have a small segment of the market and we're happy with that. We enjoy what we do. We enjoy the characters (we meet). People up here are survivalists. They have more than one source of heating.

"We came for adventure and we found it," he said.

Web resources: