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29 places to buy restored vintage stoves

pam kueber - Updated: April 19, 2022

Retro Renovation stopped publishing in 2021; these stories remain for historical information, as potential continued resources, and for archival purposes.

vintage stoveStove: 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

Restored vintage stoves — Midwest

Vintage stove restoration — Southeast

Vintage stove restoration — East Coast

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:

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204 comments

Comments

  1. clara says

    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

    • Suzanne says

      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!

  2. Suzanne says

    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

  3. Trisha says

    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

  4. JJ Hughes says

    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

    • Danny Cantrell says

      I sure hope you are right about Macy’s Classic Stove Works! IThey picked up a 1948 Maytag Dutch Oven today for refurbishing. I will let you know how it turns out. Not alot of choices in the Houston area for companies to refurbish this type of thing.

  5. Ed M says

    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!

  6. John Thompson says

    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

  7. TimL says

    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!

  8. Erika says

    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!

  9. marta hohnstadt says

    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!