Staff Writer
Will Labbe, owner of the County Stove Shop, started his business 40 years ago when his wood stove doors blew open and a burning log rolled across the floor, almost burning his house down.
Aroostook Republican photo/Debra Walsh
Will Labbe, owner of the County Stove Shop, stands in front of a new model of a propane stove that mounts on a wall. The shop, located on the Presque Isle Road (U.S. Route 1), is celebrating 40 years in business.
“There had to be a better way to burn wood,” said Labbe, whose business is celebrating 40 years of selling wood, pellets and propane stoves.
The County Stove Shop is located on the Presque Isle Road (U.S. Route 1) in Caribou.
An educator by training, Labbe started his business in Van Buren while he was teaching math. Besides a bachelor’s degree he has a master’s degree in education, and certificates of advance studies. While teaching, the stove business was a sideline in Van Buren.
He and his wife, Sonia, moved to Caribou in 1984 and he went full-time into the stove-selling business.
Initially, Labbe sold wood stoves, but in the mid-1980s he began look at the pellet stoves.
“It was not becoming popular, but we thought it might in the future,” Labbe said during a recent interview.
Labbe said he was the first business to sell a pellet stove in Aroostook County.
His inventory has increased to include propane fuel stoves, as well as a brand new product line of electric fireplaces.
“They’re very nice, very pretty,” said Labbe. “The furniture is more attractive.”
The shop also sells fireplace tools, steamers, fans and stove paint, as well as other stove accessories.
The shop also offers evaluation and estimates to homeowners. There are various considerations to think about when putting into a stove. For example, Labbe said that pellet and oil stoves are dependent on electricity, while propane and wood can run on their own without outside power.
Business has been brisk these past years, with last year being Labbe’s best year.
“We always had a good market,” said Labbe. “We used to be the only ones. But as competition grows the market grows too.”
The businessman attributed his shop’s success to the unpredictability of the oil market.
In addition to him and his wife, also working is their son, Pat Labbe, who is the technician licensed for solid fuel, oil and gas. Boise Holman works as a telephone technician, helping customers with questions over the phone. Subcontractors are used as needed, Labbe explained.
The business has been very good for Labbe, he said.
“It keeps me active and gives me somewhere to go every morning,” he said with a twinkle in his eye. “I feel I can help people and if I couldn’t feel that way, I’d retire.”
The store is open on Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and on Saturday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. The telephone number is 498-8572.
