1974 marks the beginning of what would become Northern Lights. Tom Upham, a ski salesman, started also selling Jotul stoves out of his Wilton garage, eventually moving his business to Farmington.
Marty Farnum started working for him in 1978, not having any knowledge about wood stoves. Little did Marty know, this business would eventually become his, along with a seasonal, part time co-worker's- Todd Richard.
In 1995, Marty and Todd had the opportunity to purchase the business from Tom. They took the plunge and moved to Front Street, basically starting from scratch, but still selling stoves, bikes and skis, along with other products. After almost a decade of being in this location, it was decided to move the retail store to a better location.
In the beginning of 2021, Josh and Alicia Bell became the third owners. Marty and Todd still work part time, and the transition was so easy. Always striving to do better, keeping the same products, adding a few more, and upholding our excellent reputation- customers keep flooding in and the business just keeps doing better.
In 2004, the two partners moved the business to its current location on the Wilton Road. They continued to build Northern Lights' reputation and customer base over the years, while forming lasting business and personal relationships.
In 2007, Josh Bell was hired as a service technician. He eventually became the lead technician and then the opportunity arose for him and his wife to take over the business.
Northern Lights strives to carry only high quality products that mostly include excellent warranties. It makes us happy knowing when our customers purchase anything from us, they, in turn, will be happy with the product. If not, we will do everything we can to fix that. We rely on our customers, so it only makes sense to make sure they're satisfied with what we sell.
For almost 50 years, our attention to detail and reputation has proceeded us. Thanks to Tom Upham, Marty Farnum, Todd Richard, and now Josh and Alicia Bell, this legacy will continue for years to come.