It was the winter of '78-'79 that found Marty and Joyce Jewell looking over their $300 electric heat bill wondering if there was a better and cheaper way to heat their home. Then in February of '79 Marty and Joyce sat in their all electric home freezing because the power was off due to an ice storm. That settled it. After their 10 day ordeal, Joyce and Marty began looking for a better, cheaper, and more reliable way to heat their home. What they found was a Black Bart woodstove insert.

Impressed with the performance of the insert and the reduction in their heating bill, the Jewell's purchased the dealership for Black Bart in the Midlands of South Carolina. They opened a store in Prosperity, SC called Twin Rivers Hearth and Crafts. Being a second business, the store was operated for many years next to their home and they installed units as far away as Michigan.

With the business growing beyond woodstove sales, Marty and Joyce opened Bart Fireside in May 1983 at 1207 Broad River Road in Columbia, SC. The name came from a combination of "Black Bart" (the main stove line they carried) and "Fireside Distributors" the company from which they purchased most of their other products). Bart Fireside became respected as a business based on Christian values and excellent service. Even after their expansion into distribution as Fireside Systems and Supply, the name Bart Fireside remained the retail entity.

Continuing growth forced Bart Fireside to move to 1131 Broad River Road in September of 1991, where it is today. In 1999 Bart Fireside purchased the franchise The Firehouse Casual Living Store, a southeast franchise retailing hearth and patio products. Hence the name: Bart Fireside / The Firehouse Casual Living Store. Now Bart Fireside has an expanded showroom at 1131 Broad River Road totaling almost 5000 sq. ft. of showroom and 8000 sq. ft. of warehouse space.

The business is still operated by Marty and Joyce Jewell and have a knowledgable and polite staff to serve you.

Serving the Midlands for over 25 years - Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall - Still looking for a better way...To serve you.