Buck Stove Corporation

In 1971, Robert Bailey and Alvin Barrier opened a small country store called Minpro Supply in the town of Spruce Pine, Norh Carolina. They sold gasoline, refurbished appliances, and bologna sandwiches made by Roberts mother.

In 1975, Mr. Carol Buckner of Asheville, North Carolina approached the two men about selling a new wood-burning stove that he had built, which included a three-speed motor. Buckner was searching for an outfit that could manufacture the stove, which he called the "Regular Buck", as well as set up a dealer network for its sales. He had created the stove in the midst of the national energy crisis, when people were desperately looking for heating alternatives to gas and oil. Buckner made Bailey and Barrier an offer: if they could not sell the stove within 30 days, he would buy it back from them, no strings attached.

Bailey and Barrier used the stove as a floor model, and within two weeks, the partner's had so many orders, they realized that they should pursue the future in dealing with Buck Stoves. They became the first official Buck Stove Dealer, and began assisting in manufacturing operations as well. Within two or three months, they had sold 200 stoves. They transformed their store into a manufacturing facility, selling the stoves faster than they could get them off of the finishing line. Robert's sister, Betty Bailey Carswell, even learned how to weld to help keep production moving. They set a goal of producing 30 stoves a week, but the demand was so high they quickly fell behind.

Rapidly running out of physical space, the company moved down the road to a property with an existing larger structure. Bailey and Barrier set a new goal of manufacturing 200 stoves a week, but again found they still were not meeting the demand. To solve their dilemma, the two men decided to hire more employees and build a new structure on the property that could keep up with their ever-increasing sales. In less than 12 months the company went from manufacturing 30 stoves a week to 3,000 stoves per month. Shortly after, other stoves were added to the production line, including the "Big Buck" and the "Little Buck". All three models were triple-wall stoves with three-speed motors and fans.

By the early 1980's, the wood stove business began to level off as the energy crisis waned. Suffering from health problems, Alvin Barrier sold his share of the company to partner Robert Bailey.

To this day, Robert continues to lead the New Buck Corporation. The company has grown tremendously over the decades and continues to do so. Currently, the company has a nationwide distribution network, including 10 national distributors that have their own dealer networks ranging from 50 to 500 dealers.

In an ever changing industry, Buck Stove continues to be innovative in it's business practices and design. Unmatched
American Quality is the companies main philosophy. We continue to improve upon our products and customer service so that they stand second to none. This is our practice now and will be on into the future.

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