Who's Who Better Business Bureau

24 BBB MAGAZINE Who's Who Special Edition hen you and your family are curled up next to the fireplace, your only worry should be whether there's enough hot-chocolate to go around. That's the peace of mind Ye Olde Soot Sweepers & Hearth Shoppe owner-manager Justin Rayner and his staff believe every family should have. The family-owned business has been around for 42 years, founded by his father, Dave Rayner, who used go out on calls dressed in the traditional chimney sweep's top hat and tails. "It's a little bit of heritage and we don't do it anymore, but people remember it and they still talk about it all these years later," says Justin. There are two sides to the business to cover every aspect of maintenance and installation, with a focus on safety. Ye Olde's technicians are registered with the Winnipeg Fire Department and fully WETT certified (Wood Energy Technology Training). "We do everything with fireplaces and chimneys and I am the head installer for all of our fireplaces — wood burning and gas," Justin says. "We are a one-stop shop and we can do drywall and painting, tile, a mantle, even custom fireplaces, and it is all done in-house. We can also work with customers if they want to do some of the job and would like us to do the installation of the fireplace." The Hearth Shoppe offers several product lines for both residential and commercial customers, choosing and selling the highest-quality products and installing them in the safest manner, above and beyond code requirements. "We are putting a fire in your home — you have to be extremely safe with these installations to ensure that for the next 50 years you will never have any problems," Justin says. The maintenance side of the business handles inspections, chimney sweeping and maintenance of wood-burning systems, as well as gas fireplace cleaning and maintenance. Justin cautions that it's crucial even for seldom- used systems to be regularly inspected. "A lot of people don't realize disuse actually allows moisture to penetrate into the system in the chimney and into the fireplace, causing rusting and decay to the system until the system falls apart — it's a very dangerous thing," he says. "We want to make sure that the customers that are going to use them are getting them inspected first. Even if it's a new home, I've seen incorrectly installed wood and gas fireplaces, often installed by sub-trades who are simply not qualified." Ye Olde Soot Sweepers & Hearth Shoppe serves customers in Winnipeg, and throughout Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario. Wherever Justin and his technicians go, their goal is the same — to provide a standard of safety far above the code requirements and the peace of mind that comes with it. Justin is proud to have been "born into the business," and to provide the assurance of integrity and quality that comes with Better Business Bureau accreditation. "I really enjoy the fact that I can bring comfort to families in their homes," he says. "It's my family helping their family and it's a nice feeling to build that rapport with the customer and let them know that they're going to have this beautiful fireplace built with the highest quality product and the safest installation." ❙ Learn more at yohss.ca W YE OLDE SOOT SWEEPERS & HEARTH SHOPPE Safety and Comfort FIREPLACE EXPERTS SPECIALIZE IN PEACE OF MIND

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