Local favourites, sharing their insider tips on places and things to do on and around Tamborine Mountain – Your gold coast hinterland!

Mitch Gregory is one of the co-owners of Firehaus in Brisbane, servicing from Byron Bay to the Sunshine Coast and out west to Toowoomba. The company is young, but between staff and contractors has over 60 years’ experience servicing the fireplace industry. When Mitch moved to Queensland in 2003, he lived at the bottom of Tamborine Mountain (in Coomera) and spent a lot of time venturing up to the cafés and restaurants. He also spent six years living in Jimboomba, loves the lifestyle that comes with living on a rural property and looks forward to warming many homes over the coming winter.

What inspired you to start your business, and what do you have planned in 2021?

My inspiration to open Firehaus was driven by seeing a gap in the market in both Brisbane and the Gold Coast; other fireplace companies were not offering a complete design, supply and installation service.

2021 will see us open our second fireplace showroom where we will have the single largest working display of gas, wood, electric and bioethanol fireplaces by mid-year.

How did COVID-19 affect you and your business in 2020?

As unfortunate as Covid-19 was for many other industries throughout Queensland and Australia during 2020 and even into 2021, our business did see the benefits of closed international borders, as a lot of consumers were spending their money on home renovations and adding warmth to their homes with fireplaces.

What did you do before opening your business?

Prior to opening Firehaus I was working for another locally-owned fireplace company where I learned the tools of the trade, and took what I had learnt and put that into my own business, but also adding a few points of difference.

How would you describe your business?

Our business model is a high energy business, extremely customer-focused on the things that matter the most and bringing forward some of the best quality brands in Australia and from around the world. We have a goal of being the biggest and best in Brisbane and the Gold Coast.

What is it about your business that you love? What makes your business stand out from other, similar businesses? Is it a business that gives you satisfaction?

Our people, who are passionate about finding the right solution for every individual customer. Our people are what make us stand out from other businesses, and the satisfaction we receive is when customers ring, text, send us pictures and tag us on social media to let us know how happy they are with their fireplaces.

What challenges have you had in business over this period of time?

Being the new player in the market has had its challenges. However, we have taken them head-on to ensure we stay grounded and achieve our end result of being the biggest and best.

If you were not doing this what would your ideal job be?

Growing up, I spent a lot of time in landscaping and horticulture. I would find it extremely relaxing and therapeutic sitting on a ride-on lawn mower and mowing a golf course. There is nothing more satisfying than looking at the lawns after they have been freshly trimmed.

Interesting facts about yourself?

At the age of 17, I had my first professional soccer contract in Western Australia, but an unfortunate accident with a chainsaw abruptly brought the curtain down on that.

What do you do for fun?

I am a family man, and spend as much time with my wife, daughters and family and when I am not working. I do, however, love the new Australian tradition of smoking meat and entertaining people with some pulled pork and brisket.

Do you take holidays and if so, is there a favourite destination or activity?

Over the last five years I have travelled a lot to the USA, and by far my favourite destination has to be New York; I was lucky enough to get engaged in New York in 2018 and then later in 2019 got married under the Brooklyn Bridge in New York.

Final thoughts?

We appreciate the opportunity to showcase Firehaus in this short profile, but would really like to say “thank you” to the readers of the Scenic News for their continued support of Firehaus over the last 18 months, and look forward to heating many, many more homes.