AUBURN – High oil prices are fueling an expansion of the Fireside Stove Shop, says owner Gary Asselin.

“We’re growing,” he said Wednesday in explaining the expansion project. “There’s a big demand” for wood-burning stoves, he said. “It’s the fuel cost.”

Asselin said the expansion will add 3,000 square feet to his Center Street operation, room that will allow for more storage and double the shop’s showroom space.

There’s no set timetable for completion of the project, he said, but the exterior is already up and contractors are working on the interior. Once it’s complete, he said he expects more business to result, meaning that he will have to hire more employees. “That depends on sales,” Asselin cautioned.

Asselin installs and services the stoves that he sells, he said. His service area extends out for about 45 miles, he said.

The company was founded in 1978 in Turner. In 1982, Asselin relocated the shop to its Center Street location.

The present expansion is a precursor of more to come.

He said he has “future plans … other things are in the works that will be good for the Auburn-Lewiston area.” He said the plans are connected to the wood stove business.

The Fireside Stove Shop sells a variety of wood- and pellet-burning stoves, fireplace inserts and related equipment.