Our Story
Serving Central Illinois Since 1974
A story of hard work, family, loyal employees, and generations of customers who made it all possible.
A Company Built to Last
It All Started in a Freight Depot
Every great company has a beginning.
For Clayton Fireside, that story starts in 1974, when Jerry Whitney took a leap of faith.
After years working in the hearth industry at the Traver Company in Decatur, Jerry believed homeowners deserved a fireplace company dedicated to quality products, expert advice, and exceptional service. At 45 years old, he left the security of his job to start a business of his own.
With the support of Majestic Fireplaces, Jerry opened Clayton Sales Company inside the historic Illinois Central Railroad Freight Depot on East Eldorado Street in Decatur, Illinois.
The company occupied only a small portion of the building in those early days. As the business grew, more space was leased until, in 1984, Jerry purchased the entire freight depot from the railroad, creating what would become one of Central Illinois’ most recognized fireplace destinations.
Named After a Son
Many people assume Clayton Sales was named after the city.
It was not.
The company was named after Jerry’s nine-year-old son, Clay Whitney.
Jerry often joked that “Jerry Sales Company” just did not have the right ring to it. Needing a company name quickly, he chose the name Clayton—a decision that would become recognized throughout Central Illinois for decades.
Built One Customer at a Time
The early years were not glamorous.
Jerry and his wife built the company through determination and long hours.
Every morning Jerry was up around 3:00 a.m., making deliveries before returning to the showroom in time to open the doors at 8:00.
After closing each evening, he and his wife spent hours preparing invoices and paperwork before doing it all again the next day.
The business was not built overnight.
It was built one satisfied customer at a time.
The Energy Crisis Changed Everything
As energy costs rose in the late 1970s, homeowners began looking for new ways to heat their homes more efficiently.
Clayton Sales responded by helping customers with wood stoves, coal stoves, inserts, furnaces, and boilers. The company expanded its product knowledge and built relationships with customers who needed practical solutions during a changing time.
Those years helped shape the company’s reputation for honest guidance, dependable products, and service after the sale.
Manufacturing Innovation
Clayton Sales did more than sell hearth products. The company also developed and supported practical fireplace and stove solutions during a period when homeowners were looking for better heat, better efficiency, and better service.
That hands-on experience gave the team a deeper understanding of how products performed in real homes and why proper installation, service, and customer education mattered.
A New Generation
In 1987, after graduating from the University of Arkansas, Clay Whitney returned to Decatur and began working alongside his father.
What started as a temporary plan became a lifelong career. Clay learned the business by serving customers, supporting employees, and helping the company adapt as fireplace products and homeowner expectations changed.
Seeing the Future
By the early 1990s, pellet stoves were getting attention, but Jerry Whitney believed gas fireplaces would shape the future of the hearth industry.
That decision helped define the next chapter for Clayton Sales. The company leaned into gas fireplaces, inserts, and showroom experiences that helped customers compare products in person and imagine the finished result in their homes.
Building the Destination Showroom
In 1993 and 1994, the historic freight depot was transformed into a destination fireplace showroom.
The business continued operating while the showroom was rebuilt around the customer experience. The goal was simple: give homeowners a place to see fireplaces, compare styles, understand installation needs, and make confident decisions before buying.
Today’s Destination Showroom
Today, Clayton Fireside continues that showroom-first approach for homeowners, builders, and businesses throughout Central Illinois.
Customers can compare fireplaces, inserts, gas logs, stoves, mantels, stone, and outdoor living products in person while working with a team that understands design, installation, and long-term service.
From Clayton Sales to Clayton Fireside
Key moments that shaped the company and its service to Central Illinois.
1974
Clayton Sales Is Founded
Jerry Whitney founded Clayton Sales Company after years in the hearth industry with Traver Company. With help from Majestic Fireplaces, the company began inside a small rented portion of the Illinois Central Railroad freight depot.
Late 1970s
Wood, Coal, and Energy Savings
During the energy crisis and rising heating costs, Clayton Sales expanded into wood stoves, coal stoves, inserts, furnaces, and boilers. The company developed a dealer network across Illinois, Indiana, and Iowa.
1984
A Permanent Home on Eldorado
Jerry Whitney purchased the Illinois Central Railroad freight depot from the railroad, giving the company a permanent home on East Eldorado Street.
1987
Clay Returns to Decatur
After graduating from the University of Arkansas, Clay Whitney returned home and began working alongside his father. What started as a temporary plan became a lifelong career.
1991
Choosing the Future of Fireplaces
As pellet stoves were gaining attention, Jerry believed gas fireplaces would shape the future of the hearth industry. Clayton Sales chose to focus on gas hearth products, a decision that helped define the company’s future.
1993-1994
Building the Destination Showroom
The showroom was rebuilt inside the historic freight depot. While the business continued operating, the team built a showroom where customers could see fireplaces, compare styles, and imagine the finished look in their own homes.
1997
A Refreshed Clayton Sales Identity
Clayton Sales updated its logo and brand identity while continuing the same trusted service customers had known for decades.
1998
Carrying the Legacy Forward
After Jerry Whitney’s passing, Clay continued leading the company with the same focus on loyal employees, long-term customers, and trusted service.
2008
Modernizing the Showroom
The showroom was updated with new lighting, carpet, furnishings, modern finishes, and linear fireplace displays as fireplace design trends continued to evolve.
2026
Clayton Fireside Begins
Clayton Fireside begins the next chapter, carrying forward the Clayton Sales legacy for a new generation of Central Illinois homeowners, builders, and families.
The People Behind the Company
A Team You Can Count On
Our team has always been the heart of Clayton Sales. Many team members have been here for decades, building relationships and taking care of our customers.
Mike Munos
For more than 30 years, Mike Munos worked alongside Clay Whitney and became one of the most trusted and dedicated people in the company’s history. His knowledge, loyalty, and steady presence helped carry the business through decades of growth.
Generations of Trust
Clay credits Mike, along with the rest of the team, as one of the reasons Clayton Sales earned such long-standing trust throughout Central Illinois.
A New Chapter
Different name. Same values. Same people. Same commitment.
As Clayton Sales looks toward the future, the company is continuing its long tradition of serving Central Illinois homeowners, builders, and families with trusted fireplace expertise.
The transition to Clayton Fireside represents a new chapter for the business—not a departure from what made Clayton Sales successful. The same commitment to honest guidance, quality hearth products, professional installation, and service after the sale remains at the center of everything we do.
Clayton Fireside honors the foundation Jerry Whitney built, the decades of leadership Clay Whitney carried forward, and the relationships customers have trusted for generations.
The name is evolving. The commitment remains the same.
The story continues.