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. Karl T. also suggested suppliers. I did some additional research and came up with an expanded list — and readers continue to more in their comments, below, be sure to read them — and we now have 12 13 14 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 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 — this includes consulting with a properly licensed professional to assess the stove for environmental and safety issues. Be Safe / Renovate Safe — for more info see our Be Safe/Renovate Safe page.
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 Stove Shop — Ventura, Calif.
- Carolina’s Antique Appliances — East Los Angeles, Calif.
- Savon Appliances — Burbank and Hollywood, Calif.
- Lloyd’s Appliances — Irwindale, Calif.
- Antique Stoves — Culver City, Calif.
- Reliance Antiques — Berkeley, Calif
- Apple Stoves — Oakland, Calif.
- RMR Company — San Diego County
- Homestead Vintage Stoves — Centralia, Wash.
- Macy’s Classic Stoveworks — Houston, Texas
- Tulsa Stove Hospital (no website) — Tulsa, Okla.
Restored vintage stoves — Midwest
- Retro Stove & Gas Works — Chicago area
- 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 — Bayside, New York – NYC area
- Chambers Rescue — Montclair, New Jersey
- 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.
Other stories of interest:
fran says
Hi Lorraine,
I received your comment about shipping your Chambers C from NY to RI for under $300. Did the repair company (who did you use) recommend someone or did you make those arrangements on your own? I know there’s an old stove refurbishing co. in NY. Was there a reason you didn’t use them?
I’m in PA (1/2 hr outside Philly) and would love to find a place to refurbish my Chambers C. Thanks again for the help!
Fran
lorraine says
Hi Fran
I used Don up in RI. He seems to be the go-to guy for Chambers stoves on the east coast. I wanted to use someone who knows these stoves inside and out. It’s been about 6+ months but my baby will finally be ready in the next day or two. Cant wait to see her. I used Don’s guy Tommy to ship. He lives near me in LI but the stove will be shipped to NC next so I expect the cost to be much higher than the first trip. Considering the heft I think his prices are reasonable. Tommy’s number is 516-526-9900. Leave him a message, he’ll get back to you if he’s on the road.
fran says
Thanks Lorraine. What is the name of Don’s business? Contact info?
If you don’t mind me asking what condition was yours in and how much work did it need? Can you give me a ball park as far as cost? Just trying to estimate out the full cost with shipping. Thanks for all your feedback.
pam kueber says
fran, see the list at the top. she’s talking about Mattera Stove Works.
Lorraine says
Hi Fran, sorry. Was on the road. Yes, I used Don Mattera in RI.
Jane says
Does anyone know where I can purchase a mid century gas stove in Salt Lake City or Utah?
Lorraine says
Watch ebay or Craig’s list
Paul says
Jane,
I just acquired a home in Salt Lake that was built in 1891. Inside is an old O’Keefe & Merritt gas stove. Base on the pictures on the Internet it is from the 1930s or 1940s. If you are interested I can take pictures.
mickey says
http://www.macysclassicstoveworks.net/?attachment_id=72
Please don’t leave Houston off your list.
RMR Stove Company says
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.
pam kueber says
you did not come up in our search…i’ll add you when I get a moment
RMR Stove Company says
Thank you Pam. We really enjoy what we do. Your support means a lot to us.
Michael
Evan Degenfelder says
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?
pam kueber says
They existed, but I do think they were much rarer than electric. Watch craigslist…
RMR Stove Company says
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
Fran says
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!
Lorraine says
Fran, don’t know if you solved your problem but I shipped my chambers C to Mattera Stove works in RI from NY. It cost under $300 to get her there.
Jen M. says
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.
James says
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
Clara Dodson says
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
Tim says
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!
clara says
It was suppose to say smooth top not stop. Sorry. Dont’ you just love auto correct……