Sunset Appliances Offers Comfort, Quality & Customer Care with Ezee Glow Heating Stoves
Harley Bontrager runs Sunset Appliances with his wife, Loranna, and their two adult children, Andrew and Geneva Bontrager. It was in 2014 that Sunset Appliances first opened in Topeka, named for the sunset views the family has witnessed there.
In addition to Sunset Appliances, the Bontragers own an Ezee Glow heating stove store.
“I’ve been selling Ezee Glow stoves for about eight years,” Bontrager says. “It’s always been a good hit with customers. So, when this business came up for sale, I decided to purchase it. That was a year ago.”
Known for their energy efficiency, user-friendly features, and realistic flame effects, Ezee Glow heating stoves are designed with both heat and aesthetic appeal in mind.
“My favorite part about these stoves is their efficiency,” Bontrager adds. “They have a low flame feature that gives off constant heat and sets them apart from other heaters. They also have flues inside them, which is a concept that goes back 50 or 60 years. It’s cool that stuff that worked back then still works now.”
Bontrager creates and manufactures Ezee Glow heaters right in Topeka, where he lives. According to Bontrager, having multiple family-owned and operated businesses means a lot to him, though it can be challenging at times.
“I like working from home and having the children work for us,” he says. “And I really like the interactions with the customers and dealers, too. Interacting with the customers is probably my favorite part of being a business owner.”
Bontrager’s daughter, Geneva, runs the family’s Ezee Glow heating stove store, while his son, Andrew, manages Sunset Appliances.
“Geneva is the sole worker putting the Ezee Glow stoves together, and Andrew manages Sunset Appliances, so that makes things much easier on me,” Bontrager says.
Ezee Glow heaters are typically purchased in the fall season, but Sunset Appliances sells and installs them year-round.
“Interest in these heaters grows every year,” he adds. “A couple of years ago, they reached the top [of the market].”
According to Bontrager, the process of making these heaters starts with their two sides, front piece and back piece getting bolted together.
“From there, you bolt on the top and bottom, and then the legs,” he says. “Then, you set the heater upright on its legs. They all need to be caulked at the top after that.”
A fond memory Bontrager recalls is when a customer who purchased an Ezee Glow heater from him a couple of years ago returned to the store at the same time a new customer, interested in the product, did.
“The previous customer told the new customer how much he liked his Ezee Glow heater,” Bontrager says. “After that, the new customer said he’d be back in the fall to buy one of his own.”
Bontrager says August is when people start thinking about buying a new heater, and that they typically purchase or pick them up in September or October.
“We always have a Labor Day week sale,” he says. “We’ll be having another one this year. It’ll be Sept. 1 through the 6th.”
Bontrager has about 20 dealers he works with, scattered from Topeka to Allen County, and even into Ohio, Michigan and Pennsylvania.
“We always send out a wire and thermostat with our heaters,” he says. “So, if you plan to put your heater in the basement, you’ll want to wire it to your upstairs and have the thermostat on the wall up there. It’s good to note, too, that we do a one-year warranty on parts.”
Sunset Appliances serves the tri-county area, including LaGrange, Elkhart and Noble counties. For servicing inquiries, the Bontragers can be reached at 260-593-2384. Sunset Appliances is located at 6395 S. 900 West, Topeka, Indiana.
