Stove: From Dream Stoves
I have been blogging about midcentury home design since 2006, but my very first piece of published writing about home design in 1995 — an article about vintage stoves for the now-defunct Ann Arbor News. Vintage stoves were first becoming popular around then. I have been a fan ever since and today, have a circa-1959 GE Pushbutton electric in my kitchen. When we did a story a while ago about where to get your vintage appliances fixed, a number of readers had suggestions and experiences to share about vintage stove restoration experts. Over on the Forum, Karl T. also suggested suppliers. I did some additional research and came up with an expanded list — the readers added more in their comments, below — and we now have 12 13 14 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 places to get your vintage stove restored… to buy a restored vintage stove… and to find parts and service for vintage stoves:
Note, before you buy, understand what you are paying for. Depending on condition, stoves may require *just* cleaning … an expert can tell you whether it needs new wiring, insulation, pilots, burners … and then, there are the so-called “remanufactured” stoves — in which the stove is completely disassembled, rechromed, re-porcelained, re-everythinged (pretty much), then put back together as “new”, for all intents and purposes.
Restored vintage stoves — West and Southwest
- Buckeye Appliance – Stockton, Calif.
- AntiqueGasStoves.com – Alta Loma, Calif.
- Dream Stoves – Valley Springs, Calif.
- Antique Stove Heaven – Los Angeles
- Aiken’s Furniture – Inglewood, Calif.
- Antique Appliance Co., aka Eagle Rock Appliances – Los Angeles
- Antique Stove Shop – Ventura, Calif.
- Savon Appliances – Burbank and Hollywood, Calif.
- Lloyd’s Appliances – Irwindale, Calif.
- Antique Stoves – Culver City, Calif.
- Reliance Antiques – Berkeley, Calif
- Classical Gas Antique Stoves – Arizona
- Antique Vintage Appliance – – Tucson, Ariz.
- Homestead Vintage Stoves – Centralia, Wash.
- Oklahoma City Appliance Repair aka Tyson’s — Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
- Tulsa Stove Hospital (no website) — Tulsa, Okla.
Restored vintage stoves — Midwest
- Remember When Antiques – St. Louis, Missouri
- Antique Stoves – Tekonsha, Mich.
Vintage stove restoration — Southeast
- Antique Appliances – Clayton, Georgia
- Aircon Vintage Appliances – Raleigh / Durham / Chapel Hill, NC
Vintage stove restoration — East Coast
- Belgrove Appliance – Westchester County, New York
- Central Range Service (no website) — Bayside, New York – NYC area
- Mattera Stove Works – Wakefield, RI
- Andrews Range Service (no website) — Pittsburg, Pa.
- Good Time Stove Co. – Goshen, Mass. — pre-war and earlier
- Antique Stove Hospital – Little Compton, Rhode Island… for folks preparing for peak oil!
Note: Thanks so many readers for the contributions to build this list — keep ‘em coming. Also, thanks to Todd at chambers.net for a number of these leads. This seems to be the go-to place for Chambers’ info!
Please know: I do not have personal experience with these resources, so I am not endorsing them…. Please make sure that you do your own research to verify that you are working with safe, experienced, properly licensed professionals with a proven reputation. And, as Lara Jane commented in the original story:
To follow up on Pam’s post, I know a lot of people on other home improvement sites were scammed by a guy restoring vintage stoves (some they’d sent to him, some were advertised on his site). Be careful who you give your money to, and if possible, use a credit card with buyer protection!
Yes, as with any purchase of this magnitude — please do due diligence regarding the companies you are engaging with.
For Do It Yourselfers: Check out The Old Appliance Club. Please take care, though — consult with a professional about proper safety and environmental issues you need to know!
Other stories of interest:
Hi Pam,
There is also Aikens’ Furniture in Inglewood, California (near Los Angeles). I went to him last year to have a burner reporcelained. He did a great job. Also, we got to talking stoves and he said he would try to find me two other burner plate parts that were missing – and he did! Nice people and a great experience. Here is a link to the LA Times story that helped me locate them: http://www.latimes.com/features/home/la-hm-fixers-aikens-stoves-20101113,0,240406.story
I forgot to mention, after seeing the prior post on stove repair, I had Antique Stove Heaven come out for a house call. They were also very good. Quick, professional, friendly – and fixed the problem easily when the repair people my home warranty company used wanted to replace the entire part.
Thank you, Ann!
Thank you!
Another excellent source is Savon appliances in Burbank CA. I purchased a fantastic Wedgewood range years ago – I called it the June Cleaver stove, although it most likely was from the 40′s not the 50′s. The people at Savon are great and they provide repair services as well.
Here is the link to Savon Appliances:
http://www.savonappliance.com/
Thank you!! Added. Now at 14!
I got my `40s O’Keefe & Merritt (pictured on this site under “Suzanne’s kitchen”) at Savon, now in North Hollywood, CA & my `60s stacking Maytag washer & dryer from their other store in Burbank. Savon restores, installs & services their appliances. Savon is the place to go in LA.
Luckily, I was able to finagle myself into inheriting my grandmother’s 1950′s O’Keef & Merrit. I have pics of her making tortillas on it in the 70′s.
Unfortunately, I have no where to put it yet so it is sitting in my mother’s garage until I can buy or rent a house.
I have watched many of these sites and love to look at all the old, gorgeous stoves.
I should probably specify, she’s not dead yet. (Thankfully!) My parent’s just moved her into my Uncle’s home.
(I never expected to get the stove but it was the only thing I asked for)
I just purchased a restored O’Keefe & Merritt from one source you mentioned-Antique Appliance Co., aka Eagle Rock Appliances. It will receive the place of honor in the new kitchen along with 1950′s metal cabinets. I dealt with Peter, the owner, and he was wonderful. He did an amazing job of crating the stove for shipping. It weighs over 500 lbs. When I asked Peter if he had an old stove manuel, he said: “Don’t worry, you won’t need one”. Can’t wait for the installation.
For folks in the midwest, there is a place called Tyson’s in Oklahoma City that seems to have a lot of great vintage stoves, though I can speak to any personal experiences with them. Their website doesn’t have any photos, but I see a lot listed on craigslist (http://www.oklahomacityokappliancerepair.com/#cid=glbc).
The vintage stove issue makes me want to weep … we had additional cabinets built to match the lovely originals we have and built them to accommodate a 30″ stove. Had I known then that there were so many vintage beauties out there we would have proceeded accordingly. Now I am on a never ending hunt for that rare 30″ stove (and am on a waiting list at Antique Gas Stoves, which should give me plenty of time to win the lottery).
Thank you — Tyson’s added. Don’t know where you live, but my friend Ron in Pittsfield, Mass. / Berkshire County Used Furniture has a gorgeous 30-incher right now. I’ve shown it on the blog…60s-beautiful!
I’m in Iowa but my family is in New England, so it’s a possibility. Where on the blog is this gorgeous stove??
Lauryn, it comes up quickly using my search box…
In St. Louis we have Remember When Antiques on Cherokee Street. Haven’t visited yet, so can’t advise on prices. Their website has a photo gallery.
http://www.stoves-r-us.com/
You have perfect timing! I recently bought a 1950s O’Keefe and Merritt stove from Craig’s List for a great price. It has some rust spots and the enamel was chipped in a couple places, but the seller promised me it worked. It doesn’t and the seller won’t respond to any of my emails. I love the stove, but I need something to cook on and in, not just a decorative object. I’m in Austin, Texas and have been unable to find local repair people who will work on antique stoves. If anyone has a Texas connection, please let me know!
There is a business in Port Allen, La [ near Baton Rouge, La] called ” Hugh’s” (it’s also the owner’s name); he totally refurbishes stoves such as yours.
Hugh restored our stove 10 years ago. PIcked it up in Dallas, did a full restore, delivered it back to Dallas and installed it. Now I need a little tune-up and wish there was someone nearby. Will have to call Hugh, I guess! http://www.hughsplace.com/
Go to Macy’s Antique Stove Works in Houston, TX or call Ken Johnson at 713 52100934 or 713 528 1297
I am looking for repair or replacement for a stove that I don’t think can be considered “vintage” necessarily, and having no luck so far – it is a 50s-60s GE range unit consisting of a cooktop (in that copper brown color mentioned on this blog a while ago) with a metal back in same color, connected to an overhead conventional oven. (Tried to put a picture here but it doesn’t seem to work) It works OK, but a couple of the burners don’t heat very well anymore – we had a local repair guy out to look at it (we’re in Maine) and he said he couldn’t fix it. We would love to replace it but they don’t seem to make this kind of unit anymore – any ideas about where to look for a replacement?
I think that if you keep looking for an electrician with experience and patience, he or she can fix it… See the links at the end of this story, also – go back to those other two stories for ideas.
You know, this seems to be a real business opportunity for industrious and entrepreneurial folks outside of L.A. Very few stove restoration places… and the big ones have long waiting times, I think….
Love this,
i want to replace my fancy new stainless convection oven with a vintage stove. i miss my old stove from my flat in san francisco! it was awesome. a 40′s gas tank that was solid and reliable. these new appliances are just crap,( everything has been repaired on mine and i’ve only owned them about two years.) unless you spend 5K , but, then you basically have a vintage stove, a gas tank.
I live in Albuquerque, New Mexico, any resources here?
Hi Samantha. I saw your post. I have a 1952 O’Keefe Merritt stove. I use it everyday. I am moving back to Michigan and renting out my house. I don’t really want to put it through the journey. Any interest in buying it? I am afraid a rental tenant would not appreciate it as well as I do. I thought about bringing it with. It is a lovelly stove an original with the house.
take all buying/selling over to the forum, please: http://retrorenovation.com/forums
How much do you want for your O& M stove? I live in Louisiana but have family in Albuquerque. Thanks, P
take this over the buy/sell forum, folks: http://retrorenovation.com/forums/
Hi Pam,
I’ve been lurking for years, but couldn’t resist writing in on this one! In San Diego/OC/L.A., the best place to buy these is Craiglist! They are everywhere and people are unloading them to make a few bucks…
I was going to sell my working O’Keefe & Merrit (with Salt/Pepper drop in shakers, griddle, clock, etc.), but it had a few enamel dings and the griddle was well-used. There were so many on Craigstlist, I donated it to the Salvation Army in San Diego a few weeks ago!
I’m looking forward to getting a restored one down the road again,
Love this site
Welcome, Kathryn! Any reco’s on folks who can do fixits on these old stoves? xoxo
Hi Pam!
When I’m ready, I will be going to this place in the Inland Empire area of Southern California/Riverside County: http://www.antiquegasstoves.com.
I got as far before as finding a “guy named Mike in Ocean Beach who works on these”, but gave up on the restoration before I followed the lead.
I’ve fallen in love with the Apartment Stoves (the mini O”Keefes) and the All-In-One units (Stove/Fridge/Sink and/or Oven). I’d be perfectly happen living in a small beach bungalow with one of these:
http://www.antiquegasstoves.com/pages/wedgewoodapt.html
Best,
~K
Yes, Kathryn — that one was/is on my original list… Let me know when you get your stove!
When I thought the heating element on my wall oven was broken I called the company that bought ModernMaid. They didn’t have parts but she suggested that many times the heating element doesn’t change much from year to year. I could feasably go from repair shop to repair shop and eventually find one that fits.
There is Reliance Antiques in Berkeley, CA. They sell restored vintage stoves and will re-furbish them as well.
I’ve posted here before about the best stoves ever made, Chambers.
O&M’s are great as well and nothing beats cooking on and looking at a really good vintage stove.
One thing I have learned in restoring a couple of Chambers stoves is that all the older stoves are pretty simple and basic. A few tools and some patience just about anyone can fix or restore one. (saves a ton of money too!)
You can have parts re-chromed and there is a couple of places that does porcelain work as well.
It’s not nearly as scarey as you might think and most parts are available on the net.
Thanks, Mark. Yes, here is a place — the only place, we think — to get porcelain re-enameling done: http://retrorenovation.com/2011/09/06/real-porcelain-enamel-coating-to-restore-your-drainboard-sink-tub-or-stove/
Reader reminder: There can be vintage nastiness in old stoves — asbestos and lead. Consult with experts — know what you are doing.
Pam,
You might want to add these guys,
http://www.ipe-porcelain.com/
They do real good work on stove parts and cookware.
Thanks, yes, I think there are additional re-porcelaining resources out there that I need to research…
I absolutely LOVE those old stoves!
Hi Pam,
Great post. Here is a website with LOTS of Chamber’s stove info, and another handy dandy link list towards the bottom of stove places by region in the U.S.
http://www.chamberstoves.net/Parts&Service.html
I can personally vouch for Christian of Dream Stoves, I had him restore my Tappan and it is just beautiful. Normally, a top-to-bottom custom color (read: new porcelain on the whole stove) will be MEGA bucks anywhere you go. I found a very good condition Tappan, and had Christian completely go through it, rechrome my drip pans and oven door interior, and reporcelain the grates. Plus new insulation, rebuild valves and thermostat, go through the wiring/timer/clock, do a couple of porcelain chip repairs, and clean, clean, clean. My total bill was $1800, and I paid $400 for the stove. I’m in now at $2400 vs. the $6k-7k price tag of buying an “off-the-shelf” already restored stove from a stove place.
I concur with the reader above: Craigslist, Craigslist, Craigslist, and THEN take your stove for restoration if you don’t want to do it yourself. It will be cheaper doing it that way.
Yikes! When I get some additional time, I will go through this list, too! Thanks, T3!
Here is #18 Aircon Vintage Appliances, Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill Regin in North Carolina. I just purchase parts for my vintage stove. He says he has 100s in stock. Check him out.
For just a few minutes I couldn’t breath! Who do I have to kill for that stove?
Lauryn – I’m in Iowa, too. IF I would have known three years ago what I know now, there would have been a bigger space allotted for a stove. Duh! At the time all I found were the ubber expensive ones and I couldn’t pay as much for a stove as the rest of the kitchen renovation was going to cost.
Where do I find this blog?
“Berkshire County Used Furniture has a gorgeous 30-incher right now. I’ve shown it on the blog…60s-beautiful!”
i’m practicing tough love, use the SEARCH! “berkshire county used furniture” and it comes up in the stories presented
I am looking for burner grates for my dixie stove has a griddle in the middle. I live in NYC. Can anyone help with this. Thank You
Mary, there are two suppliers in NYC area in my list, above…
I hope this doesn’t upset anyone – here’s a new GE electric with enough retro style to get by
http://products.geappliances.com/ApplProducts/Dispatcher?REQUEST=SpecPage&Sku=JBP15DMWW
Not nearly as fab as an authentic vintage stove, but if you’re doing retro on a tight budget this might work. No digital clock, no electronic keypad. It’s white, but let’s be honest, most vintage appliances were white.
I’m considering it for an upcoming kitchen retro-remodel. I couldn’t find a gas model w/o the tell-tale electronics on the “dashboard”. My wife prefers electric anyway.
I do not work for GE, nor am I in any way connected with the appliance industry.
stovelist.com is my kind of porn. Yummy!
thank you, thank you, thank you! I have lived in my 1953 rambler house for 16 years. THe bathroom is tiled and we have do intention in replacing it anytime soon! But, the blue is like a robin egg sort like blue. Now I have ideas for paint. And I would love to redo the rest of the house in it’s “natural habitat” Thank you again!
Would you please tell me where I can acquire a flash tube for the right front burner of my O’Keefe and Merritt stove?
Thank you!
Hello Pam & other midcentury lovers
I’m new to Retro Renovation, so I’m not completely sure of the proper protocol, etc., but I have a beautiful ’63/’64 Frigidaire Flair stove that needs a new midcentury home. The stove works well, w/ two ovens (one small/one larger) and 4 burners that stow away when company is coming over.
We rescued it out of a house remodel in the Bay area almost 10 years ago; with the intent of using it in our own kitchen (we had a Flair in a rental house & fell in love w/ the counter height ovens & the burners that stow into the lower section!). We’d moved it seven times, through there states…
We’ll it pains me to say that it’s not going in to our beautiful 1953 home we’re completely remodeling. Natural gas available in the kitchen, I can’t bring myself to cook on electric any longer… Yes, a sad admission indeed (…plus we need the space it’s taking to store this stove!).
We’d like to sell this beauty to someone in the Seattle area, or nearby, i.e. Portland, etc., that can pick it up. It is heavy and we’d like to get $600 for it, considering the condition and the difficulty in finding these in clean, working order.
So, we’re ever hopeful that someone in the Pacific NW is longing for a beautiful Frigidaire Flair of their very own. This stove is sure to be the prize of your midcentury kitchen. It’s the stove seen in Samantha’s kitchen in Bewitched and in Wayne’s moms kitchen in Wayne’s World. We want this classic stove to end up with a family that can truly appreciate the lines, beauty and fantastic design of this midcentury marvel.
I wanted to post here, before going to Craig’s List or eBay because if you’re reading this, you get it. Thanks!
Hi Tim L – items for sale can go on to our forum: http://retrorenovation.com/forums — good luck
Thanks Pam.
I have enjoyed my Vintage Frigidaire Flair Range since 1963…LOVE IT!…expect to keep it as long as I can get replacement parts…I would like to replace it with another like it if I could find one in excellent condition, but I only see them available on the west coast….to far to transport. My problem now is, I can’t find a thermosat for the small oven, so can only use the broiler. Do you know where I can find one?
Hi Annette,
Try http://www.antiquestoves.com/toac/thermostats.htm. They can rebuild your thermostat back to its original condition.
I have a defunct Frigidaire Dealership circia 1929.
Lots of parts some pretty old others not so old.
Anyone Interessted?
PS: I also have older small appliances that were left for repairs and not picked up some were repaired others were not.
Located in Lumberton, NC
I have a free standing airconditioner evaporator/fan unit intended to be set on the floor and plumbed to a compressor in the basement. It has a water cooled condenser. Was first AC installed in Lumberton. NC
You might add Carolina’s Appliances to your list. I have not been to the main store but saw their booth in an antique store in the Circle of Orange CA. Here is a link to their website: http://www.carolinasappliances.net/ I just bought a 1937 house so I am in the market for a vintage stove and this list is going to be very handy, thanks!
We had our vintage O’Keefe & Merritt restored at Macy’s Classic Stove Works in Houston, Texas. Those guys are amazing. They drove up to Austin to pick up our stove and then several months later brought it back; on what turned out to be the hottest day in the history of summer in Austin. I felt so sorry for them I gave up on the soda and just passed out beer. I’ve never seen such a grateful group of guys. Anyway, you can contact them here:
Web site: http://www.macysclassicstoveworks.net/?page_id=35
Physical address:
2706 Collingsworth Street
Houston, TX 77026
PH: 713 521 0934 or 713 528 1297 FAX: 713 521 0889
e-mail: Macysclassicstoves@comcast.net
I recently aquired an okeefe and merritt stove that has four burners on the right and a griddle on the left. It has a kindler on the left and a single oven and broiler. It also has a timer and cooking instructions in circles as well as salt/pepper shaker on one side and a flour shaker on the other. The serial number has been rubbed off. Any idea on the year
Trisha–
Send pix & your description to the vintage stove store nearest you. They’ll know. If they don’t, try another. My 6-burner stove with 2 ovens is 1940s, possibly pre-war. Yours may be older if you have to light the pilot every time.
Good luck! (and let us know)
–Suzanne
I love looking at these post and photos from all the different sites listed. I was wondering if anyone knows of a site near Kentucky. I have did my own search and can’t find any. I would love to redo my kitchen and add either a Chambers or Imperial Flair stove to it. I had a brand new range when we moved in and like they say “nothing is as good as the old” I set the new range to self-cleaning and it got so hot that it melted the rubber piece around the smooth stop and some type of shiny substance appeared cause of the heat. Needless to say we got another “new” range and it still has problems. I told hubby, if and when I get to redo this kitchen I’m looking for an old faithful. He thinks I’m nuts but hey, that’s what makes this world go around. Thanks for reading
You can’t go wrong with O’Keefe & Merritt. However, they were manufactured in California, & may be hard to find outside of the West Coast. You’re right–older is better, except they’re not self-cleaning. My 40s O&M is the best stove I’ve ever had, & I’ve been cooking & baking for longer than I want to admit!
It was suppose to say smooth top not stop. Sorry. Dont’ you just love auto correct……
Hey again, I came across an Imperial Flair Double Oven with the rotissere and all books. What is your opinion on this particular stove. Hubby said he doesn’t care for the Chambers cause we’d have to have a gas line ran plus having to redo the kitchen area. So I was wondering if any of your readers know much about Flair
Clara – the Flair is a beautiful kitchen appliance! Why no one is making a similar stove/oven today is a mystery to me. The over the counter ovens, w/ the gull-winged doors, and the stow away burners are a great feature. About my only complaint is that the ovens are shallow, being only about 14″ deep inside. Cooking some things like a full size pizza (@ 16″), does pose an issue – we had to modify our pizza pans to fit the ovens [?!]. There is cookware from Frigidare designed for this model, however it’s all Aluminum (not great for health reasons), and it is pricey. If you are indeed looking for a Flair, and happen to be in the Pacific NW (?), let me know…We’ve chosen to go with gas in our MCM remodel (for cooking reasons) and our flair is electric. Good luck!
Stove Clock Repair in Grove, Okla., can rebuild your non-working clock and guarantee it. I have used them twice – once for my oven and another time for a friend’s oven. The price is very reasonable and the clocks were back to me within a week. http://www.stoveclockrepair.com
Hi,
My husband and I recently bought a 1950 ranch in MA and everything is vintage. We need to additional room in our kitchen and are looking to sell the 1950 Crosley stove (electric) which came with the house. It is in mint condition and was recently refurbished by the original owner, she loved her stove! It is in working condition, I have been cooking on it for the past 6 months. Looking for any insight re: Crosley stoves and a possible market for resale.
Hi
I have a 1950′s Chambers C that needs some refurbishing. Nice porcelain and chrome, but rusting inside. Needs a good cleaning and some parts. I live just outside of Philadelphia. Very expensive to ship to NY. Anyone know of a restoration place or person in the Philly, NJ Delaware area. Thanks for the help!
Hello,
I may be showing my ignorance, but is there anywhere to buy a vintage (1945-1955) gas cook top? Surely all counter cook tops were not electric, right? I’m so exasperated looking all over the web with no luck. We are restoring a 1947 ranch style home. The kitchen has an electric cooktop and wall oven. I just don’t like cooking with electric, much prefer gas. I can’t imagine that all the built in cooktops were electric.
What are the options? Pull it all out and go with a restored gas range? That would mean changing the cabinetry. Drop in a modern gas cooktop? Help! lol. Anyone have any ideas?
They existed, but I do think they were much rarer than electric. Watch craigslist…
Evan:
We get a lot of these come through our shop from time to time. Common brand names are Chambers (they made an incredible built in cooktop and oven), Western-Holly and O’Keefe and Merritt.
I have to be honest, except for the Chambers (kinda) they really don’t move out here in San Diego so we end up using them as organ donors.
Pam is right. CraigsList is a great resource.
Michael
Hey! What about us? We have been in business since 1997 serving the San Diego County and Northwest Baja area with the Sales Service and Parts for Vintage pre-1965 gas cookstoves.
Is there some reason why we weren’t mentioned? We pride ourself on our customer service and our on-line reviews are stellar.
you did not come up in our search…i’ll add you when I get a moment
Thank you Pam. We really enjoy what we do. Your support means a lot to us.
Michael