Modern Gas Opens New Showroom
Wednesday, October 24th, 2012
In late September, Modern Gas Company opened its new showroom on Highway 82 in Lee County with an expanded selection of indoor and outdoor fireplaces, fire pits, patio furniture, spas, grills and other backyard appliances. The new showroom replaces the company's previous location on Broad Avenue in downtown Albany.
"We had been renting in a couple of locations for our showroom and administrative space. Now we have everything under one roof in a building that we purchased," said Mark Holloway, president of Modern Gas Company.
Modern Gas Company has been in business since 1954. In addition to a full line of hearth and backyard furniture and appliances, the company offers bulk propane service for residential and commercial customers.
"The new location also enables us to park our fuel trucks onsite behind the showroom building. We looked at other locations in and around Dougherty County, but they didn't offer that flexibility," Holloway said.
No Showroom Like it in the Area
With the move into the 15,000 square foot building, Modern Gas was able to expand its displays and inventory of existing products and add new products to its line. In particular, patio furniture and spas are new offerings for the company.
"We expanded the number of indoor and outdoor fireplace displays. We now have 29 displays. There's no fireplace showroom like it in the area," Holloway said.
"We added to our line of accessories for grilling including a nice inventory of spices and rubs. We can now provide the full backyard experience for customers and take care of all their outdoor appliance needs."
The company prides itself on carrying long-lasting, American-made product lines. One line of patio furniture and two grill lines are made in the U.S. along with 99 percent of the gas fireplaces, according to Holloway.
Gambling on a Better Economy
With the weak economy, 2012 has been a slow year for Modern Gas. However, The Freedonia Group, a market research firm, and others project U.S. demand for grills, outdoor heaters, and outdoor furniture/accessories will increase in 2013. The trend toward vacationing at home and more outdoor living are cited as factors that will help drive demand. Making the move to a new showroom represents hope that things will improve next year, according to Holloway.
"We're hoping the economy will take a turn for the better after the election. When it does, we think there will be demand for our products from people who have the money now but are not inclined to spend," Holloway said.
"We think our new showroom is in the retail traffic hub for the area. We see most of the future growth coming in this direction."
More information on Modern Gas Company is available at www.moderngascompany.com.
