ATLANTANOMICS: Firewood sales totals clear as smoke

Raymond Ramsay doesn’t know whether to thank the cooler weather or the recession. But both have helped him sell a lot of firewood in the past few weeks.

Ramsay —- better known as “Fire” to customers who frequent his Mr. Firewood business at Ponce de Leon and Moreland avenues in Atlanta —- believes the recession has rekindled an interest in all things nostalgic, including firewood.

Even as the prices of residential heating fuels dip, people are turning to firewood for much more than just warmth, said Ramsay, who has been selling firewood for 18 years.

“The recession is bringing people back home,” he said. “They love the smell of the wood and the popping sound. Burning gas is like [wearing] cheap perfume.”

Residential fuel during this current heating season, October though March, is projected to average $2.53 per gallon, a 24 percent drop from the 2007-2008 heating season, according to the U.S. Energy Department’s Energy Information Administration. Residential propane prices are projected to average $2.10 this winter, a decrease of 14 percent from last winter. Residential natural gas prices are projected to average $12.56 per thousand cubic feet, a 1.3 percent drop from last winter, the agency said.

Ramsay said most of the people coming to buy the Oak and Hickory wood at Mr. Firewood are middle class and upper-middle class. The poor may want it but often can’t afford the wood, which runs anywhere from $5 a stack on up, Ramsay said.

In addition to the regulars, Ramsay is seeing transplants from colder climates. “A lot of people coming are from up north —- Chicago, Minnesota, [places] where they’re used to having fire,” he said.

Not all dealers are doing as well.

Joe Harrison of Joe’s Oak & Hickory Firewood in Temple has taken to leaving his business cards on the doors of people’s homes to drum up business. His sales are way off, and he blames the economy.

“I have a bunch of wood,” Harrison said. “But it’s not selling like it did a few years ago. It’s the economy. People are scared to turn loose of their money.”

Estimated home heating costs

> Oil for October-March season: $2.53 per gallon

> Propane: $2.10

> Natural gas: $12.56 per thousand cubic feet

> 17-piece wood stack at Mr. Firewood: $5

Source: U.S. Energy Department’s Energy Information Administration; Mr. Firewood