Announcing the single most exciting discovery on the blog yet: World of Tile — a tile store that opened in Springfield, New Jersey, in 1957 and which is still open today. A lovely story of same-family-ownership small business longevity. But, the big news is that this tile store is chock full of new old stock NOS mint in box MIB vintage tile from the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. GORGEOUS tile, and at what I consider very fair prices. You read it first here… !!!GeT Y@Ur T!Le FaSt!!!! — because once the fancy shmancy hotsy totsy New York interior design crowd finds out about this place (that is: starting NOW), they are going to rush on over to New Jersey and, I fear, wipe the place out.
My great big fat World of Tile story is so fantabulous, that I am dedicating the next several days to rolling the story out.
How we discovered World of Tile
First, I want to extend a huge THANK YOU to Jason and Nicky — who discovered World of Tile. Nicky, in particular. As you may recall, Jason and Nicky are intrepid renovators and they made a trek a few months back to Emily’s big stash of NOS tile in West Virginia, which I had discovered via the Forum.
As Jason explained to me by phone: After their trek to West Virginia, where they did buy some fab tile, they still needed some specific, mint-colored tile that they had in mind for a bathroom renovation. Nicky would NOT give up, and kept searching and searching online, following up on any little tidbit of information about a possible source that she could get. World of Tile was just one such tidbit. She saw it mentioned in a discussion forum somewhere, and with little expectation of success, she called World of Tile. Yes, World of Tile said, they had mint green tile. Old stuff. Vintage stuff. New old stock stuff. From the 1960s or so.
Pronto, Jason and Nicky drove three hours north to World of Tile, and it was then they discovered they had hit a motherlode. Now, “motherlode” is a quite a cliched term, but in this case, it really fits. When Jason and Nicky arrived home, Jason wrote me a long email and send lots of cameraphone photos. Here is an excerpt from Jason that pretty much sums up my feelings, too:
I expected to find a few varieties of vintage tile, but I never expected an entire store of vintage tile. I was speechless; I was actually incoherent. My wife found this greatly amusing, as I pretty much could only say ‘Wow’
Looking at all of Jason’s photos, I knew this place was going to be good, so as quickly as I could, I arranged my schedule to get down to World of Tile to see for myself. The place is about three hours south from my house. It did not disappoint. The owner Chippy — as in “little chip off the old block” — was very very gracious and kind. She gave me a tour of the 5 showrooms upstairs… I also toured the downstairs, where they store all the tile… I took hundreds of photos… and even made a video walking through the entire store so that you can see for yourself what a retro wonderland it is.
How to do business with World of Tile
Chippy, the co-owner of World of Tile advises that if you need replacement tiles, you are going to need to send her an actual sample – not photos, they do not provide enough info to do the matching. If you are interested in any of the tiles I’ve shown here, I’d advise the same: Save a copy of my photo, send it to her, and see what can be arranged. Honestly: I think the Best Bet, if you want a whole room full of NOS vintage tile based on any of the photos I’ve shown here, would be to go to World of Tile and see everything in person, yourself. The place is six miles from the Newark airport. Please be advised: This is a small business — give Chippy and her team TIME to handle your request and all the requests likely to come. Like I said: Are you crazed to get your hands on some of this stuff? FLY TO NEWARK. Before the NYC crowds — just 40 minutes away!!!! — descend.
More of the story to come as this week unfolds. Meanwhile, here are 100+ photos from my trip to BLOW YOUR MIND. Note, I am showing all these photos, so you — Retro Renovation readers — can get a jump start going after any tile you need. You can get both replacement tile, and full orders.
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And again, the link to contact Chippy at World of Tile is –> click here.
To play slide show: Click on an image… it will enlarge… use arrows below image to move forward or back… you can start at any image.
Wow. That IS a fantastic find. AND in a great Mid Century Modern / Googie Building too. Hope they carry on successfully in business for years to come.
Whoa! What a find!!! One of my favs is in photo #56 – the burnt lime psychedelic tile. How great is that?! I was also going to mention the MCM building. The sign is wonderful too
This is overwhelming!!!!!!!!! Great if you need replacements, but pity the poor person who goes looking for inspiration. If I did that, it would put me into a never-ending tizzy of total inability to decide on which tiles I wanted. But, what fun it would be during the process.
I hope you can provide up-dates on how their life changes from this day forward, because I imagine it will change in a major way. So glad you took that trip down to Jersey.
I am speechless! Incredible find!
FABULOUS…I LOVE the ceramic switch place covers! I need one desparately for my pink and black bathroom!!! What a fabulous find…Amazing its been untouched by time it appears!!!
Good grief! I wouldn’t know where to begin. I too love that building…so glad they’ve kept things old-school. Best of luck to these folks, now that the internet knows about them!
Unbelievable! I am waiting for the measurements on my bathroom rebuild, but I saw a few things in there that might work for the new shower. That map of the world is fab!
Sigh…I wish I could get my hands on some of that pink tile. My pink bathroom has several cracked and broken trim pieces in it.
Gabbie – they have vintage pink tile in many colors…. doing replacements is a specialty.
Yes, but the problem is that I live in the deep south and Newark is a long way away.
You have made my Sunday morning! I am planning a field trip for tile in our powder room. Completely beyond my expectations. Retro Renovation, I love you.
Love the tile. Love the sign. Love the building. Love this STORY!!!
Pam, you are a lifesaver! I may have to replace my 1962 rectangular based toilet, and worried that it will involve tile replacement, too. But I LOVE my brown mosaic tile floor. I will be emailing Chippy to see if she can help me.
My search for replacement pink tile and a new matching floor may have come to a end
Holy crap! I can’t even tell you how many times I passed that store when I was a kid. Now I am trying to make sense of a 1950′s bath with black wall tile and mint green trim tile…and I still get my hair done in Springfield. Next time I go down there, I’m definitely stopping off here. Graet blog, SO glad I found it!!
Interesting, the colors are usually reversed, green walls and black trim – which I have always liked and hope to put in when the original blue bath goes in several years.
Yes, it is kind of odd; never seen it anywhere else. I was going to have the whole thing gutted and redone in bungalow style but then hubby got laid off…and I realized that the tile is still in great shape and the walls are plaster. So I’m just replacing floor and vanity….and working with what I have instead of fighting it. Problem is the tub — it has a curved bottom so it’s very slippery and has a giant (2″ round) chip that is rusting. Not sure whether to reglaze white or have someone redo it in the mint green…
I didn’t think anything could top all that tile until I got to the last photo of the building and sign. It’s like the Disneyland of tile. Wish I were on the east coast. Have fun, all you Retro Renovators who do make it there!
Go Jason and Nicky!!!
I toast your commitment and determination;
You two are gladiators!
Thanks Sarah! It was a LONG search for our floor tile, but well worth it!
This comment isn’t exactly tile-related, but you might also want to check out Finkles hardware store in Lambertville, NJ for NOS…sinks and toilets of all colors (you know what color I mean
)…vintage lighting…vintage faucets and lots more. They have excellent customer service and love a challenge. You’ve got to see their basement filled with vintage faucets, etc. and their warehouse chock full of sinks, sinks and more sinks! Hudee rings too! I wouldn’t be surprised if they had some tile tucked away somewhere. I don’t think they throw ANYTHING out.
Thanks for the tip, Allie! I’ll run after it!
We stopped by there today, as we were in the area visiting family and they informed us they don’t have that much vintage stock.
We were hoping to potentially find either NOS avocado or coral toilet/sink units for the remainder of our bathroom renovations, but alas! I was able to pick up some electrical supplies for some re-wiring projects, as they carry some obscure parts which are hard to find at the big box stores. So it was a good trip, nonetheless.
I guess the bathroom floor just became the new priority! Amazing tile and some just might work! Thanks for posting all of these photos, Pam!
Yes, if you can get it, get it fast!
Amazing! A feast for the eyes! Took my time through all the pics…thanks so much for the tour! Looking forward to more this week! I LOVE LOVE LOVE your site and blog!!!
Thank you, Olga, for the luv!
My sister Laurie and I are almost ready to hop in the car and drive to NJ (from CA). What a wonderful find! Love the puzzle tiles that are Escher-like.
Cindy, it’s worth the drive!
I have just this weekend been on the hunt for replacement mint green tiles for my ’56 bathroom. It is having some plumbing repair work done behind the wall this coming week. I can’t wait to see if I can get what I need from this store!! I have already contacted B & W so now I have two options with this new place you’ve told us about. I have tiled walls that back up to each other – one green, one pink. We’ve opted to not “disturb” the pink (Save the Pink Bathroom!) and repair from the green side. I am sooooo glad I stumbled across this site last week!
Teresa,
We are using both B & W tile (for the walls), as well as the vintage stock we purchased from World of Tile (for the floor). WOT may have vintage mint green wall tile, but B & W definitely carries it, as they sent me a sample board with their greens on it.
Thank you for the tip – all we needed were about 20 wall tiles and got them from B & W. (cheap!!). The price was so right I ordered extra just in case we have another plumbing issue down the road. The sample they sent was a perfect match to our ’56 mint green. Will you/have you posted any photo’s of your green bathroom fixup? I have noticed that our floor tiles (both pink and green bathrooms) have a different texture to them than the wall. I guess that would make sense since you walk on them and the others would be very slick. Good luck with your remodel!
I will most definitely be contacting them for some price quotes.
Currently getting underway to redo the bathroom. Was going to go with some of the Dal-tile mosaic flooring, but now I may have to check out this place instead. Why buy new replicated flooring when I can buy NOS actual vintage? lol
Some of their other tile gave me an awesome idea for trim pieces in the bathroom. Very excited.
Thanks for the recon trip and photos Pam. WOT’s stock is truly amazing, but how could it not be? Look at that sign and that building!
Oh my!! That’s all I can say, everyone else has said it all! Good thing I live in MI and not closer, I would be a goner as soon as I walked in the door. Thanks.
WOW! My head hurts in a good way…
Just a big sigh and smile> Thanx for this find
Wow! I wish i knew about this when I replaced my bathroom tile in March. I will definitely use them next time! I may have to dream up some projects too!
This store is incredible! What a find. I think a road trip may be in order…
It’s a retro wonderland!! Amazing!
Pam, in the second to last photo, it looks like there is a seahorse mosaic in the bottom left corner. Do you happen to have a photo of that?
I think you are right, Bird. I’m not sure if I have a complete photo. I’ll continue to be showcasing closeups – watch the blog. If you’re interested – reach out to World of Tile directly.
Talk about a time capsule! Thanks for the wonderful photos.
Hey, I talked to Chippy just now (Monday morning) — there were 60 emails yesterday. So again — be patient everyone.
HOLY TILE MOLEY! I wonder if they have a black inset tooth and tumbler, all I ever see is the ones that end up looking like they are glued on top of your tile as opposed to a part of one of your tiles. My Mom and her new fiance *does tile* were so sweet to find me one since mine is broken across a corner, but it is the on top of the other tile look.
2 hours each way for me. I’ve gotta get the A/C fixed in the VW before I make this trip.
So envious here in California!
What a wonderful resource! That’s so much for sharing this.
I found the email – I’m going to visit the place. Looks too good to be true! Can’t wait to see it for myself.
So many reasons to love NJ, and this is just one more!
Just so you know…maybe someone mentioned this…they don’t carry vinyl or asbesto tile, only ceramic and stone. I was hoping they could find me some NOS Kentile.
That’s correct — just ceramic, stone, marble etc.
WOW. talk about blast from the past. having grown up in Somerville, NJ i remember driving past this store hundreds of times while travelling up & down rt. 22. Haven’t been up that way in decades, but i wonder if they have my seahorse bathroom tile… so tempted to road trip now !
Teresa @ July 10: If you need a toilet and maybe a sink for that mint green bathroom, someone on Bergen County Freecycle is giving them away. Post here if you’re interested and I’ll get you the info. (Mine is black with mint green trim and tub…but the toilet was replaced so I’m going hybrid of 1950′s restore + arts & crafts.)
Chippy…save some 4″ black tiles for me!
Thank you so much for thinking of our project Jill – ! but we are staying with the white theme to the sink, etc. They are still in good shape and we are having the tub refinished. I like the contrast of the green/white – otherwise there is no other color in the bathroom as the tile has no offsetting color trim to it. All mint green – floor and walls (half way up per the norm) and counter top. But someone would be thrilled to get those mint green items I know!! Thanks again!
I must say the lime green tile on the left in #56 is pretty special and bespeaks a time and place.
What a ride, Pam!
The building and sign made my heart skip a beat all on their own, the inside being a time capsule is something you only dream about. If that place ever closes down, I hope there is somewhere they can donate the sign to!
now i know why i moved back home to new jersey from orlando 3 years ago! as we say in my house…. ‘Roadtrip”!
I’m going to this place in about two weeks! Let me know if anyone wants photos of anything or needs me to scout for anything! I’m on it.
woo hoo! have fun! what are you looking for? i want to do stories on all the readers who use tile from World of Tile!
Even tho this post isn’t being viewed as much…..we are definitely going there August 5th! WOO HOO!
Gonna finally get the tile to get our tub done. I just called the store and she is SWAMPED with calls/emails/requests from retrorenovation LOL sounded like she was gonna pull her hair out!
OMG!! I have been looking for replacement tile for ages and it looks like they may have exactly what I need. I’ll wait a couple weeks seeing as they are swamped with retro rennovation request. This is the best site
My husband and I are redoing our late 60′ to early 70′ house
he is in the process of stripping the kitchen cabints (red oak
Next I want to fix up my bthreoom – it has the marble elook plastic tiles (white
I love them – I know they are not ceramic – but it is so unique that I do not have the heart to replace with boring modern tile we are on a very tight budget
so i think my best bet would be to send some tile to see if it could be matched
( Did not receive one reply from the Star Ledger. SO GLAD THAT YOU ARE GIVING THIS PLACE ITS DUE! )
From: Price, K.
Sent: Tuesday, October 06, 2009 5:22 PM
To: ‘jbraun@starledger.com’
Cc: ‘avenutolo@starledger.com’; ‘moshinsky@starledger.com’; ‘dlaquaglia@starledger.com’
Subject: FW: How has an article not been written on the stunning ‘World’s Fair-like’ World Of Tile in Springfield NJ?
Enrique Lavin’s email said the he would be out of the office until Monday, Oct. 12 and that you all were some helpful contacts in Features and A&E. Thanks!
From: LAVIN, ENRIQUE [mailto:ELAVIN@STARLEDGER.COM]
Sent: Tuesday, October 06, 2009 5:14 PM
To: Price, Kathi A
Subject: Out of Office AutoReply: How has an article not been written on the stunning ‘World’s Fair-like’ World Of Tile in Springfield NJ?
Entering into the World of Tile on route 22 West in Springfield was like blinking and finding myself in what I imagined to be an exhibit at the 1964′s World Fair. My mouth dropped open and I felt that ‘holding your breath is this real feeling’ as I entered into the cavernous Mid-Century modern circular building. It was such an atypical experience that it took me a minute to get my bearings. I saw no recognizable counter and then I realized that the perfectly round tiled ‘tiki-hut’ looking construction smack in the middle of the floor with tiled counter and tiled spokes that extended it seemed like 20 feet to the top of the dome was the counter. The space all around this centralized command center was open and seemed vast. I could see Route 22 from within this windowed sanctuary – but I felt like I had entered another world, maybe another dimension. I can not tell you how happy I was to be in there. It felt wonderful. I had to suppress the ooh’s and ah’s. And the tile. Almost everything was tile or had been tiled. Tile from every style and age. I was in a museum. They have thousands of different tiles and they had the almost hundred year old tile that I had been looking for by internet, phone and travel for days on end. Not only did they have the exact pattern hanging on the wall, they had plenty more of it in a storeroom. The picture of the building does not give one the true size of the place – it is vast. I was so moved that I determined to write and implore you to go take a look at this place and hopefully do an article. Really, it is a New Jersey Gem that needs its history and art documented and preserved. I asked the owner whether she ever been written up by the Star-Ledger and she said no. I could not believe it. Please do not let this opportunity slip through the cracks. Dedicated artisans and like these are part of what makes our state so very special.
K.Price -Life-long New Jersey resident
http://www.worldoftile.us/
http://www.italytile.com/tilesearch_us_canada_results.php?code=WOR136
1st time I was there about 10 years ago the “discontinued” 1950s porcelain tile was $2.25 a sq ft. I had no use for them at the time but filed it away as a great tile for a future renovation. Fast forward
5 years ago, I revisited and the same “discontinued” tiles were now “vintage” and $7.00 a sq ft. It would have broke my budget for an entire kitchen floor so I passed on it. Fast forward again to summer 2012 and I went back with a backsplash in mind….the same tiles now $20.00 a sq ft.
I regret not buying the whole lot 10 yrs ago!
Fascinating. Unfortunately they only sell ceramic tile. If only someone sold NOS vinyl/asbestos tile. I would kill for some and I’m betting other people would too.
Hi Martini, I see old tile like this at estate sales sometimes — usually, an extra box in the basement. See my stories in Kitchens/Flooring — there are now some designs available from Azrock that are darn good proxies. Of course, if you are a regular reader, you know that I recommend homeowners to consult with properly licensed professionals to ensure they know what is in the original materials in their homes — including the floor tiles — so that they can make informed decisions how to deal with them.
O-M-G!! Just found your site and am floored!! Will probably spend the weekend reading everything. The tiles are what caught my attention. Ten years ago we bought a 1963 vintage home in Mount Dora, Florida. Thankfully NOTHING had been done to ‘update’ it (except for adding a hideous, cheap sink in the GARAGE bathroom). We just started a mild reno to the main bathroom, which has a VERY odd blue/green tile in it, along with all the original fixtures. I am totally encouraged by this site and all the other enthusiasts who want to preserve the beauty of their interiors…yeah for us!! Yeah for this site…
Welcome, Monique. Yes, we do have some fun here.
We are in the process of buying a 1957 pretty intact house in Sarasota, FL. The bathrooms are spectacular, the tile vanities yummy. The original kitchen cabinets are there and we’ll strip and repaint them. We are installing a new “vintage” look back splash tile and simple counters.
The base of the gray and pink master shower is leaking. I sent a photo to Chippy and she matched the tile and is shipping it to us for the repair. What a character and great fun. (I’m from New Jersey)
Thanks for the referral,
Carol Belding
YAY! Sarasota — that’s where we plan to retire!