About Us

Our Staff

Dan Hechler Dan, one of the owners of Hechler's Mainstreet Hearth and Home has been involved in the operations of Hechler's since 1975. He is involved in sales and management of all operations.

Phil Hechler Phil, one of the owners of Hechler's Mainstreet Hearth and Home, has been with Hechlers since 1986. He is involved in sales and inventory operation of Hechler's Mainstreet Hearth and Home. He is our resident "sheet metal fabricator" and creates metal work to complete many of our heating installations.

Kim Hechler Kim has been with Hechler's since 1982. She is involved in sales, billing, office and computer aspects of the store.

Matthew Staley Matthew has been with Hechler's since 2000. He is the manager of the new Hechler's Mainstreet Hearth and Home. He has been involved in the wood burning stove industry for many years including his own chimney cleaning and stove business and manager of another stove shop for several years.

Our History

This turn of the century of the photo was taken from the upper story window of Hechler Hardware. It is directly across the street from the opera house. It shows hogs being herded down the street in front of the opera house to the city scales. While there, livestock could get a drink at the spring located nearby. The scales were located in the lot next to the opera house. The building housing the scales can just be seen to the left of the picture. Here they would be weighed and then possibly sent by short line rail about 3 miles to Moscow Mills, Missouri. From there they would be shipped to market. Notice the dirt streets. From about 1890 till 1919, the opera house was located in the second story of this building. Cooley Store and Behrens Grocery Store can be seen.

Here is a very early photo of the outside stairs and entrance to the second story of the opera house. The small photo inset in the upper left corner is looking up Main Street. Notice the large trees and the little building with the arch opening. This is the know as the city scales.

About 1920, the original owner of the opera house, Mr. Henry sold the opera house to Albert and Laurence Schaper. From this time on the upstairs was not used for the purpose of an opera house. The Schapers, a very inventive pair of brothers, built a car elevator in the building to raise cars to the second floor. The gears and hoist that was built has survived to this day and can be seen in our store today. Notice that the words Opera House are at the very top of the building. They are still there on our newly restored building.

Another view of the Troy Motor Garage Company and their delivery truck nicknamed " Trouble Shooter".	This photo shows Albert Schaper in his new business with some of his new Chevrolets. The old original ceiling seen reflecting in the photo can still be seen in our store.

Here are some of our antique stoves you can see at Hechler’s. We collect old stoves and our visitors find them interesting to see and how much has changed and compare them to what is new today.

Pictured here are a Left to Right, Royal Princess Parlor Stove #30 marked Thomas White Company Quincy ILL 1898, Evening Home stove, Western Stove Company #8 St. Louis Missouri 1871	Here is a child’s cook stove, it is marked The Great Majestic Junior. It is an actual working toy stove. Imagine how years ago, a child could build a real wood fire in their toy and actually cook! The stove on the right is a King laundry stove, a small stove to heat water for washing clothes.	Here are toy heating stoves marked EMCO and modeled after the real thing.

This is a copy of a Hechlers ad from the turn of the century when they were selling the kind of stoves we collect now!

Here are old Stove Manufacturers Signs: