Firewood Sales Spark Profit in Snowy Weather

When snow falls, sales heat up at Holmdel Firewood. 

"God has been good to me," said  owner Joe Artelli, 64, of Holmdel. Despite the recession, Artelli said he will sell 350 cords of wood this season, which is 50 more than last year.

A cord is a lot of firewood - a stack that measures about 128 cubic feet., or about 1200 cut pieces of wood. (See our photo.) Holmdel Firewood sells it for $540. "We'll sell out by the end of January," he said. After that, new customers will have to join a waiting list. 

Artelli sells custom-cut seasoned oak to customers in Point Pleasant, Rumson, Deal, Colts Neck -- even Staten Island, from his Route 35 sales lot. 

This year, more than a few regular customers balked at putting that much money on their credit cards all at once. "They are a little more cautious this year, so they buy halves," said Artelli. "Then they come back and buy the other half anyway, and I make even more money." 

A half cord is $300, he said.

For 30 years Artelli has taking green wood and turning it into gold. The wood comes in from Pennsylvania in the spring and summertime. Artelli seasons it by letting it the cut pieces dry out under 100 foot greenhouse tarps for about 7 or 8 months in the back of his 3.5 acre lot. 

"When wood is nice and dry you get a nice long burn," he said. "My customers want quality, and solid oak burns longer and gives you more heat." he said. 

So-called "tree service wood," the kind sold outside supermarkets and home supply stores, can sometimes be infested with bugs, like termites. "Everything here is kept clean. Clean, clean, clean," he said. "Cleanliness is a big deal in Holmdel, and they know I keep a clean business." 

A customer rolled up just at Artelli was closing up shop at 5 p.m., looking for an 1/8 of a cord. Artelli recognized his longtime customer with a hearty handshake. 

"The reason I like burning the wood is because it warms the walls of the house," said Michael Scott, a 60-year old programming engineer at AT&T with a 30-year old bi-level in Matawan. "The thermostat might say 68 degrees, but its warm inside." 

After four years of holding his prices steady, Artelli expects he will have to raise prices by $20 a cord in 2011, to make up for transporting the wood.