A piece of a former Arnold business will remain part of the city.
Ken Moss, owner of Fireside Arnold Stove and Fireplace Center, recently donated a wood-burning fireplace to the city and it will be part of a pavilion that will be built at the Arnold Farmers Market, which is near the entrance of Arnold City Park off of Jeffco Boulevard and near the Meramec River.
Moss closed Fireside, 917 Arnold Commons Drive, in August. The store, which was open for nearly 40 years, was damaged by a tornado that ripped through Arnold on March 14, 2025.
Dave Crutchley, Arnold Parks and Recreation Department director, said the city moved the fireplace on Jan. 13. He said a pavilion is expected to start being built in March in the center of the 40 new vendor stalls the city built last year.
Crutchley said the new pavilion is anticipated to be completed by the end of June.
“After the pavilion is built, there will be a patio built off that,” he said. “That patio will have seating walls, and the fireplace will be the centerpiece.”
Crutchley said he has known Moss, who is a former Arnold City Council member, for years. He said he started talking to Moss about the fireplace after it was determined that Fireside would not reopen.
“I asked, ‘What are you going to do with the fireplace?’ He said, ‘Nothing, what do you think you are going to do with it?’” Crutchley said. “I go, ‘I want to move it.’ He started laughing. He said, ‘How do you think you are going to move this?’”
Crutchley said after that conversation with Moss, it was determined that city employees could move the fireplace with an Arnold wheel loader.
He said he went back to Moss about his plan to relocate the fireplace to the farmers market, and Moss agreed to donate the fireplace.
Crutchley said city employees cut the fireplace out of a concrete pad the day before the fireplace was moved and removed some fencing and overhead lighting behind the Fireside location.
He said employees strapped the fireplace to the wheel loader, and two Arnold Police officers escorted the wheel loader as it drove on Hwy. 141 and Jeffco Boulevard to the park.
“It took about 25 minutes to drive from the store to the park,” Crutchley said. “I thought it would take longer. The wheel loader does about 15 mph. It was not that far.”
Crutchley said the fireplace was placed to the side of the farmers market’s new vendor stalls, which were built by city staff members and cost Arnold $3,800 for the materials to build the addition.
Ajsa Roach, Parks and Recreation Department deputy director, said the farmers market will now have room for 87 vendors with the new stalls.
The market season typically begins on the last Saturday in April and runs through the second Saturday in November. It is open from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturdays.
The city also typically holds seasonal markets on the second Saturday of the month between December and March.
Crutchley said he believes the fireplace may be used near the start and end of the market season when the weather may be cold. He also said the fireplace may be used for photo opportunities with Santa Claus during Arnold’s Christmas in the Park event.
The city has held Christmas in the Park on the first Saturday in December for the last three years.
“It will look nice down there,” Crutchley said of the fireplace. “When it is cooler, it will be a nice place to sit and have a coffee or hot chocolate.”
Crutchley said Moss is excited that the city found a way to repurpose the fireplace, and Arnold officials are excited to have the feature become part of the farmers market.
“We are elated that we got it,” Crutchley said. “Instead of seeing it demolished, we took a chance, moved it and it all worked out.”