World of Tile — liquidation sale — going out of business — closing — The End — or so it seems
pam kueber - Updated: August 18, 2021
Retro Renovation stopped publishing in 2021; these stories remain for historical information, as potential continued resources, and for archival purposes.
This weekend, I received confirmation from a reader who’s been to the liquidation sale, twice: Yes, World of Tile — our beloved time capsule tile store — chock full of New Old Stock going back to the 1960s — seems to be in the midst of closing. Currently, there is a big closeout of all stock going on — 80% off, Marie says, and you can wander throughout the cavernous structure to hunt treasure in every nook and cranny. I do love me a time capsule liquidation sale — and this may be one unlike any other — but even so, please say it ain’t so. Alas. Lovely photo of World of Tile’s classic 1960s sign courtesy Tony Zarak on flickr and professionally here (link now gone).
Me, amazed in the basement in 2011…. the New York Times was with me on this, my first visit…
Marie wrote to me on Saturday:
Thanks to you, I discovered World of Tile in Springfield, New Jersey.
Sadly today, I discovered it was sold and in liquidation.
Marie took these photos at the liquidation sale on Sunday — she went back a second time over the weekend.
Yes. I went to the store today. It was so sad. Liquidator service is there. No one in charge really. [Marie had some info from the folks on site about what had occurred to lead to the liquidation sale, but I do not feel comfortable publishing this.]
Right now every room is open to the public to roam and select things and pay for it in cash. So, those wonderful black ceramic bathroom fixtures she used to sell for $30 are going for $5. Boxes of 50 tiles – $8/box. There is room upon room of tile and you just make a deal for it. Very good deals indeed, I’m sorry to say.
But for your readers, if they go (with a mask and a flashlight-it’s dusty), the gigantic caverns are theres to explore and find treasures! You can go upstairs, downstairs, basement and the rooms in the warehouse. Crazy!
Marie
In the cavernous basement. It’s like that federal warehouse at the end of Raiders of the Lost Ark….
Thank you, Marie!
Update: I spoke with Marie this morning — she added that on-site liquidators told her that the sale is expected to continue for about two weeks.
I had received hints of this news from a few other readers, but could not confirm what was going on. As of early last week, at least, the phone number was disconnected. My emails were not returned. I then began trying to reach a friend nearby to see if she could drive over to see if I could get some sort of official information on the situation. While I was trying to find out something definitive, I didn’t want to jump the gun with a speculative story. But now, we have Marie’s on-site report. So here’s the story, as much as I know.
The “Mosaics Room”Chippy, when the New York Times visited with me.Nicky and Jason (Jason in this photo) were the ones to discover World of Tile and report their find to Retro Renovation, so’s we could share it with retroworld. Everlasting gobstopper thanks to you, Nicky and Jason!
World of Tile — the single most important discovery on Retro Renovation ever
Yikes, I have things going on today and tomorrow. But if I can confirm that doors are open on Wednesday… and if I can steel myself for the three-hour drive (each way, ugh), I might drive down to World of Tile with a camera and video camera and a big wad of cash for one last visit … and one final report.
Gary & Clay were there today & there’s a really nice guy called Larry (I think) who worked at WOT & he’s helping people find stuff (please tip him). Word is Chippy took a couple of truck loads with her & others are taking truckloads too. YOu really have to search EVERYWHERE unless you’re lucky enough to find a sample tile that has the location & Larry can tell you where it is. The good news for me is that Gary thinks he found the closest match possible & went crazy, buying 119 pieces (minimum we needed was 7) for less than one tile would have cost before. Say a prayer to the RR gods that it matches ours!!
Good luck everyone. By the way, Gary kept asking people if they were from RR & nobody knew what he was talking about.
Cara that is such good news that there’s someone there who might know where things are. I saw some tiles on the wall but no one to help me find out where they might be – I tried myself, but came up empty handed.
Ask them to see if Larry is going to be there again before the place closes, I’d be willing to make another trip up there if there was someone who could help locate stuff!
Swear we need a pink tile bathroom added to the Hacienda, just need to convince the hubs 🙂
Katesays
Just got a call from Pam, who is there right now looking for goodies. She says there is a lot of good stuff there and she is loving it! 🙂
Sharonsays
Please keep us updated on last day to get tile. It seems to change…And, is it worth it to make a trip?
Thanks!
Katesays
From what Pam said, it sounds like it is worth the trip… She says there is lots of good stuff for retro renovators. I’m sure she’ll be back with the full story soon!
Go, Pam GO! Save travels! We’ll have to meet up some other time soon 🙂
Jeansays
We called the number in the craigslist post I posted above, and they said only what’s in the basement is left (and you need to wear gloves and a mask!). Can you confirm there’s actually enough stuff remaining to head over from 2.5 hrs away?
Jean – OMG YES. So Much Stuff! Floor to ceiling, room after room. Boxes that haven’t been touched in 50 years.
Not all organized or clean, but if you’re willing to dig, treasures galore.
pam kuebersays
I just got home after a 3.5 hr drive each way. The place is still packed to the hilt. I saw plenty I could work with to create incredible floors, backsplashes and bathrooms. Issue: Matching bullnose; you’re gonna have to work for that, maybe. I realized one hour after leaving that I’d purchased a bunch of backsplash tile – but forgot about the bullnose. Ugh.
Depending on how open you are to making quick judgments about what to buy, I LOVED IT. Tile is $10 a box and you should tip the guys who help. AN INCREDIBLE DEAL considering some (most) of these tiles!
Jaysays
Have fun and take it easy – lots of rain in the Mid Atlantic area.
Bensays
Any idea if they’ll be open on Saturday? I’m working tomorrow and Friday, but would love to get there one last time…
I was there today (Wed) and here is some info for anyone wanting to go there.
1. GET THERE NOW! They may be open into next week, but the sooner the better. I chatted with the gentleman from the liquidation sale running the place and he was impressed I drove all the way from the Philly area, and I told him that Pam (and I) were spreading the word on the internet.
2. THE PLACE IS HUGE, STOCKED FLOOR TO CEILING – plan on spending A LOT of time – its like a rabbit warren in the stockroom, where you’ll be spending all of your time.
3. THE PLACE IS DISORGANIZED – this is decades of stock, tons of unopened boxes, that may have been organized to the people who work there, but to us folks not so much. Don’t expect to quickly find something specific, it’s all over the place.
4. THE PLACE IS DIMLY LIT AND DIRTY. Wear junk clothes, bring a BRIGHT flashlight (mine was too small, and the light on my cell only did so much) bring a face mask if you don’t like dust
5. BRING CASH!
6. Be Careful! The stuff is heavy, the place is old, and things have been moved around and may not be piled safely in places.
All that said, I saw a lot of tiles that Retro Renovators would like – those 12×12 pieces of mesh with 1×1 tiles on them in pink, blue, yellow.
jaysays
Mod Betty, I’m impressed too. I live on the other side of Valley Forge and contemplated a drive but since reno plans are too far in the future, passed on the idea. What great treasures did you acquire?
I scored a box of seafoam green tiles to use as replacements for our 1950s bathroom.
I wish I could’ve picked up some more stuff, and am seriously tempted to go back there just so things don’t get thrown into a dumpster. Hubs might have a fit, but it’s SAVING HISTORY! It would be such a sin to let it all be plowed under for a parking lot.
Jaysays
Hello!
Malvern/Paoli!
Lucky you!
I want a green bathroom.
Jay – it was pretty difficult to find the seafoam tiles, but I lucked out. if you want a pink bathroom you’re all set! I saw LOADS of pink wall and floor tile. Tempted to go back there and have our basement tiled – though my musician husband may not be pleased with the acoustics!
louis walkersays
I’m going there tomorrow with a 16 ft. 14,500 GVW box truck with a 2000 lb. lift gate. Anyone that can’t get there but needs something….. I’ll spend up to two hours trying to find pieces for you guys. I could take cell phone pics and relay them while I’m finding things. I hope to buy a ton (literally) of stuff tomorrow and don’t mind helping out others. Hopefully there is something left for all of us. I don’t know if I can leave my cell number here, so I’ll wait for Pam to reply.
Carasays
Louis,
that’s great & so generous of you. I’m pretty sure you can post your e-mail address (I did in my post) & Sherry posted a phone number– so we can contact you. I’d like to suggest the RRers going tomorrow try to coordinate with fellow RRers so there’s not duplication of effort. If everyone knows what everyone else is looking for, the finding will go much quicker.
Louis, if you give an e-mail address, I will send pictures.Try me at BSG@slashconsumption.com. My partner, Gary, & our friend, Clay, will be there tomorrow (thank goodness we have friends in NYC & Gary was on a trip up north! )I will tell them to try to find you & Pam.
Thank you for saving the tile!!
louis walkersays
My email is louiswalker@msn.com I’ll give out the number in the email reply. I think we’re too late though. I just heard about it late today. Thanks Louie
Louis – You should be good to go for tomorrow – I was there just today and the guy from the liquidation company was impressed that I had traveled far – I told him a LOT of people were interested in the vintage tiles. He had been expecting Pam (and she and I had planned to meet up) so hopefully tomorrow she’ll be able to convince them to stay open a wee bit longer, if it helps Retro Renovators save those tiles from being plowed into a landfill!! Crossed fingers!!
Bunnysays
So sad. I grew up close to World of Tile and remember it in its beginnings. As a kid, I always loved seeing the sign when riding down Rt 22. It is an amazing place. It truly is the best place in the World for retro tile. I might have to take a trip to Jersey to see family and say goodbye. I would love to know what will become of all that beautiful tile.
Bunny
LynnSusansays
Pam,
I have Nick’s card with his cell#. This is not for general publication, but if you have a private message function I will provide it to you.
Marcia Lincoln-Heinzsays
Dear Friends,
I just sent my husband to World of Tile and unfortunately he describes it as a giant mess. They are still open for now. If you are considering going I would do it soon. Tile is 60% off. The site has been sold to a car dealership. He said it was very sad. We live in Pa but he works in NJ. We are going to try to go on Saturday but he has warned me that it will be a challenge to find anything because of the state of things. Nothing on display – only in boxes.
Good luck!
LynnSusansays
I am devastated! I am about 6 miles west off Rt.22 and World of Tile has been a landmark since my childhood. I just bought replacement soap dishes for my pink bathroom and the blue one, too, in July. I always enjoyed speaking with Nick and Chippy. So sad—really the end of an era.
Joe Felicesays
It was only a matter of time, as we have witnessed the local stores’ closing one-by-one. I think tile, like laminate, should be colorful, so WOT will be missed.
This weekend, I received confirmation from a reader who’s been to the liquidation sale, twice: Yes, World of Tile — our beloved time capsule tile store — chock full of New Old Stock going back to the 1960s — seems to be in the midst of closing. Currently, there is a big closeout of all stock going on — 80% off, Marie says, and you can wander throughout the cavernous structure to hunt treasure in every nook and cranny. I do love me a time capsule liquidation sale — and this may be one unlike any other — but even so, please say it ain’t so. Alas. Lovely photo of World of Tile’s classic 1960s sign courtesy Tony Zarak on flickr and professionally here (link now gone).
Right now every room is open to the public to roam and select things and pay for it in cash. So, those wonderful black ceramic bathroom fixtures she used to sell for $30 are going for $5. Boxes of 50 tiles – $8/box. There is room upon room of tile and you just make a deal for it. Very good deals indeed, I’m sorry to say.
Yikes, I have things going on today and tomorrow. But if I can confirm that doors are open on Wednesday… and if I can steel myself for the three-hour drive (each way, ugh), I might drive down to World of Tile with a camera and video camera and a big wad of cash for one last visit … and one final report.
Cara says
Gary & Clay were there today & there’s a really nice guy called Larry (I think) who worked at WOT & he’s helping people find stuff (please tip him). Word is Chippy took a couple of truck loads with her & others are taking truckloads too. YOu really have to search EVERYWHERE unless you’re lucky enough to find a sample tile that has the location & Larry can tell you where it is. The good news for me is that Gary thinks he found the closest match possible & went crazy, buying 119 pieces (minimum we needed was 7) for less than one tile would have cost before. Say a prayer to the RR gods that it matches ours!!
Good luck everyone. By the way, Gary kept asking people if they were from RR & nobody knew what he was talking about.
GO FORTH & SAVE TILE!
Mod Betty / RetroRoadmap.com says
Cara that is such good news that there’s someone there who might know where things are. I saw some tiles on the wall but no one to help me find out where they might be – I tried myself, but came up empty handed.
Ask them to see if Larry is going to be there again before the place closes, I’d be willing to make another trip up there if there was someone who could help locate stuff!
Swear we need a pink tile bathroom added to the Hacienda, just need to convince the hubs 🙂
Kate says
Just got a call from Pam, who is there right now looking for goodies. She says there is a lot of good stuff there and she is loving it! 🙂
Sharon says
Please keep us updated on last day to get tile. It seems to change…And, is it worth it to make a trip?
Thanks!
Kate says
From what Pam said, it sounds like it is worth the trip… She says there is lots of good stuff for retro renovators. I’m sure she’ll be back with the full story soon!
pam kueber says
Jerry !
pam kueber says
Thursday 8:15 a.m. ET: I’m on my way to WOT!
Mod Betty / RetroRoadmap.com says
Go, Pam GO! Save travels! We’ll have to meet up some other time soon 🙂
Jean says
We called the number in the craigslist post I posted above, and they said only what’s in the basement is left (and you need to wear gloves and a mask!). Can you confirm there’s actually enough stuff remaining to head over from 2.5 hrs away?
Mod Betty / RetroRoadmap.com says
Jean – OMG YES. So Much Stuff! Floor to ceiling, room after room. Boxes that haven’t been touched in 50 years.
Not all organized or clean, but if you’re willing to dig, treasures galore.
pam kueber says
I just got home after a 3.5 hr drive each way. The place is still packed to the hilt. I saw plenty I could work with to create incredible floors, backsplashes and bathrooms. Issue: Matching bullnose; you’re gonna have to work for that, maybe. I realized one hour after leaving that I’d purchased a bunch of backsplash tile – but forgot about the bullnose. Ugh.
Depending on how open you are to making quick judgments about what to buy, I LOVED IT. Tile is $10 a box and you should tip the guys who help. AN INCREDIBLE DEAL considering some (most) of these tiles!
Jay says
Have fun and take it easy – lots of rain in the Mid Atlantic area.
Ben says
Any idea if they’ll be open on Saturday? I’m working tomorrow and Friday, but would love to get there one last time…
Mod Betty / RetroRoadmap.com says
I was there today (Wed) and here is some info for anyone wanting to go there.
1. GET THERE NOW! They may be open into next week, but the sooner the better. I chatted with the gentleman from the liquidation sale running the place and he was impressed I drove all the way from the Philly area, and I told him that Pam (and I) were spreading the word on the internet.
2. THE PLACE IS HUGE, STOCKED FLOOR TO CEILING – plan on spending A LOT of time – its like a rabbit warren in the stockroom, where you’ll be spending all of your time.
3. THE PLACE IS DISORGANIZED – this is decades of stock, tons of unopened boxes, that may have been organized to the people who work there, but to us folks not so much. Don’t expect to quickly find something specific, it’s all over the place.
4. THE PLACE IS DIMLY LIT AND DIRTY. Wear junk clothes, bring a BRIGHT flashlight (mine was too small, and the light on my cell only did so much) bring a face mask if you don’t like dust
5. BRING CASH!
6. Be Careful! The stuff is heavy, the place is old, and things have been moved around and may not be piled safely in places.
All that said, I saw a lot of tiles that Retro Renovators would like – those 12×12 pieces of mesh with 1×1 tiles on them in pink, blue, yellow.
jay says
Mod Betty, I’m impressed too. I live on the other side of Valley Forge and contemplated a drive but since reno plans are too far in the future, passed on the idea. What great treasures did you acquire?
Mod Betty / RetroRoadmap.com says
Jay – hey neighbor! I’m a Phoenixvillian.
I scored a box of seafoam green tiles to use as replacements for our 1950s bathroom.
I wish I could’ve picked up some more stuff, and am seriously tempted to go back there just so things don’t get thrown into a dumpster. Hubs might have a fit, but it’s SAVING HISTORY! It would be such a sin to let it all be plowed under for a parking lot.
Jay says
Hello!
Malvern/Paoli!
Lucky you!
I want a green bathroom.
Mod Betty / RetroRoadmap.com says
Jay – it was pretty difficult to find the seafoam tiles, but I lucked out. if you want a pink bathroom you’re all set! I saw LOADS of pink wall and floor tile. Tempted to go back there and have our basement tiled – though my musician husband may not be pleased with the acoustics!
louis walker says
I’m going there tomorrow with a 16 ft. 14,500 GVW box truck with a 2000 lb. lift gate. Anyone that can’t get there but needs something….. I’ll spend up to two hours trying to find pieces for you guys. I could take cell phone pics and relay them while I’m finding things. I hope to buy a ton (literally) of stuff tomorrow and don’t mind helping out others. Hopefully there is something left for all of us. I don’t know if I can leave my cell number here, so I’ll wait for Pam to reply.
Cara says
Louis,
that’s great & so generous of you. I’m pretty sure you can post your e-mail address (I did in my post) & Sherry posted a phone number– so we can contact you. I’d like to suggest the RRers going tomorrow try to coordinate with fellow RRers so there’s not duplication of effort. If everyone knows what everyone else is looking for, the finding will go much quicker.
Louis, if you give an e-mail address, I will send pictures.Try me at BSG@slashconsumption.com. My partner, Gary, & our friend, Clay, will be there tomorrow (thank goodness we have friends in NYC & Gary was on a trip up north! )I will tell them to try to find you & Pam.
Thank you for saving the tile!!
louis walker says
My email is louiswalker@msn.com I’ll give out the number in the email reply. I think we’re too late though. I just heard about it late today. Thanks Louie
Mod Betty / RetroRoadmap.com says
Louis – You should be good to go for tomorrow – I was there just today and the guy from the liquidation company was impressed that I had traveled far – I told him a LOT of people were interested in the vintage tiles. He had been expecting Pam (and she and I had planned to meet up) so hopefully tomorrow she’ll be able to convince them to stay open a wee bit longer, if it helps Retro Renovators save those tiles from being plowed into a landfill!! Crossed fingers!!
Bunny says
So sad. I grew up close to World of Tile and remember it in its beginnings. As a kid, I always loved seeing the sign when riding down Rt 22. It is an amazing place. It truly is the best place in the World for retro tile. I might have to take a trip to Jersey to see family and say goodbye. I would love to know what will become of all that beautiful tile.
Bunny
LynnSusan says
Pam,
I have Nick’s card with his cell#. This is not for general publication, but if you have a private message function I will provide it to you.
Marcia Lincoln-Heinz says
Dear Friends,
I just sent my husband to World of Tile and unfortunately he describes it as a giant mess. They are still open for now. If you are considering going I would do it soon. Tile is 60% off. The site has been sold to a car dealership. He said it was very sad. We live in Pa but he works in NJ. We are going to try to go on Saturday but he has warned me that it will be a challenge to find anything because of the state of things. Nothing on display – only in boxes.
Good luck!
LynnSusan says
I am devastated! I am about 6 miles west off Rt.22 and World of Tile has been a landmark since my childhood. I just bought replacement soap dishes for my pink bathroom and the blue one, too, in July. I always enjoyed speaking with Nick and Chippy. So sad—really the end of an era.
Joe Felice says
It was only a matter of time, as we have witnessed the local stores’ closing one-by-one. I think tile, like laminate, should be colorful, so WOT will be missed.