The Family Behind the Fire
Two Companies, One Family
Firefly Lodge is the hearth side of the family behind Merrill Sheet Metal Works — keeping this community comfortable since 1913. Same owners, same building, same standard.
Family-run since 2013 · the same family serving this community since 1913 · CSIA-certified chimney care
Est. 2013
Family roots to 1913
CSIA #8723
Certified Chimney Sweep
3 Chambers
Merrill, Medford & Wausau
In-House Crew
Turn-key, start to finish
Since 1913, Then Since 2013
The Hundred-Year Head Start
In 1913, this family started keeping Merrill comfortable — furnaces, sheet metal, the trades that get a Wisconsin house through winter. That company, Merrill Sheet Metal Works, still runs today out of the same building as Firefly Lodge, with the same phone-gets-answered standard it was built on.
Firefly Lodge opened in 2013, a hundred years later, because the neighbors who trusted us with their furnaces kept asking about fireplaces. Kurt and Lori Wendt built the showroom the way they'd want to shop: live displays burning, straight answers about what fits and what doesn't, and one in-house crew that handles the whole job — the unit, the venting, the stone, the mantel, the cleanup, and the service after.
Kurt holds a CSIA certification as a Chimney Sweep (#8723). Bill Schug — you'll likely meet him first — handles the front of house for both companies. And the same standard applies to everyone: answer the phone, show up when you said, do honest work, and leave the house cleaner than you found it.
Answered, Not Ignored
What Working With Us Feels Like
The Phone Gets Answered
A person, not a voicemail maze — answering has been the family rule for a century.
We Show Up When We Said
Scheduled windows we keep. Your afternoon off shouldn't hinge on a maybe.
Honest Work, Honest Scope
Photo-documented inspections, firm quotes, and a straight no when something isn't worth your money.
Cleaner Than We Found It
Drop cloths, vacuums, and a walk-through before we leave. The fire's the only evidence we were there.
The Showroom
Live Fire, Real Stone, Straight Answers
1204 N Center Ave in Merrill — burning displays you can stand in front of, stone and mantel samples you can put your hands on, and staff who install these for a living. Weekdays 8:30–5, Saturdays 9–2.
The Family's Other Company
Heating, cooling, and sheet metal work live with our sister company, Merrill Sheet Metal Works — same family, same building, since 1913. If your project is furnace-shaped instead of fireplace-shaped, that's the door to knock on.
Every Home Should Have a Fire It Can Count On
Get a real ballpark price in the next five minutes — then come stand in front of it burning at the Merrill showroom.