Built to Last: Our Partnership with Northeast Lantern

When customers come to us looking for exterior lighting that can handle a New England winter, and more importantly, the salt air that comes with living on the South Shore, we point them toward Northeast Lantern. We've been a proud dealer for over 26 years, and there's a reason we keep coming back to them.

A small selection of our many Northeast fixtures on display in the shop.

A New Hampshire Legacy

Northeast Lantern was founded in 1987 by Skip Heal, a craftsman whose love of copper weathervanes led him to start handcrafting brass and copper lighting fixtures in Exeter, New Hampshire. Today, his son Chris runs the business, but the philosophy hasn't changed: build fixtures by hand, use only solid brass and copper, and stand behind every piece with a lifetime guarantee.

Everything is made under one roof, from design to production to shipping. There's no CAD software here. Patterns are hand-drawn, metal is hand-bent, and every fixture is soldered together by skilled artisans. Forty-four of their fifty-three employees work in production. That's the kind of ratio you don't see anymore.

Why Brass and Copper?

Here's what sets Northeast Lantern apart from the big-box alternatives: they use only solid brass and copper, and they don't paint, powder coat, or lacquer any of their fixtures.

Why does that matter? Because paint peels. Powder coat chips. Lacquer fails. And when you live near the ocean, as so many of our customers do, those failures happen fast.

Brass and copper, left in their natural state, develop what Northeast Lantern calls a "living finish." The metal oxidizes over time, acquiring a patina that's unique to your home and your environment. It's not a flaw. It's a feature. The fixture ages gracefully rather than degrading.

As Skip Heal puts it: "When a customer comes to us for a lighting fixture, they have usually pursued other avenues first and find they do not withstand Mother Nature's weather. When they find Northeast Lantern, they are buying the best product they can buy."

Eighty percent of what Northeast Lantern sells is for outdoor use, and one of their biggest distributors is on Nantucket. That tells you everything you need to know about how these fixtures perform in coastal conditions.

The Collections

Northeast Lantern offers an extensive range of styles, from colonial to contemporary:

The Onion Collection: The classic New England lantern shape you've seen on historic homes from Cohasset to Cape Cod. Available in round and traditional styles.

The Caged Collection: Evokes the nautical lanterns from New England's maritime history. Perfect for a harbor-facing porch.

The Concord Collection: Timeless and enduringly popular. Clean lines that work with traditional and transitional architecture.

The Boston Collection: Inspired by the birthplace of the American Revolution. Old-style charm with modern durability.

The Barn Collection: A beautifully crafted piece that brings farmhouse style to exterior spaces.

The Heal Collection: Handmade by founder Skip Heal himself. A piece of the company's history.

Every fixture is available in solid brass or copper, with over a dozen hand-applied finish options: antique brass, dark antique brass, verdigris, raw copper, antique copper, satin nickel, and more. Glass types and sizes can be customized. These are built-to-order fixtures, made to your specifications.

Try Before You Buy

At Fleming's, we do things a little differently. We let customers borrow fixtures to make sure the size and style are right before committing. Lighting is one of those things that's hard to judge from a catalog. Scale matters, and so does how the finish looks against your siding, your trim, your front door.

We've been doing this for over 26 years with Northeast Lantern because we know these fixtures deliver. When a customer brings one home to try, they rarely bring it back.

Repair Services

Here's something else that sets us apart: we offer repair services for your existing fixtures. A well-made lantern shouldn't end up in a landfill because a socket failed or glass broke. Bring it to us, and we'll see what we can do.

If it's a Northeast Lantern, repairs are especially straightforward. We know these fixtures inside and out, and replacement parts are readily available.

One of Many Great Vendors

Northeast Lantern is a highlight of our showroom, but they're one of many quality vendors we carry. We believe in representing products that last. Fixtures you won't have to replace in five years, from companies that stand behind their work.

Stop by and see the Northeast Lantern collection in person. We'll help you find the right size, the right finish, and the right style for your home. And if you want to take one home to try it out, we can make that happen too.