copyright ©2002 Katherine Moriconi

Last summer, I kept catching glimpses of what looked like an old refrigerator strapped to a dolly in my neighbor's garage. I really like vintage appliances so I was anxious to get a good look before it disappeared into their house. Early one morning I got my big chance. It was a sleek, early 1940s GE with deco details. It was functional art. It had attitude. It was on the curb. I had an opportunity to chat up my neighbor a week later. He was surprised to learn that many people want vintage appliances. He winced when I told him I would have bought the fridge from him, just to save it. He paid the garbage company $50 to haul it away.

The market for vintage kitchen appliances has been growing quickly over the last few years. I recently saw an old stove advertised as the hottest trend in kitchen design. They are increasingly used in movies, on television and are featured prominently in shelter magazines. Old appliances are durable and simple. They were built before the days of planned obsolescence and many are still the workhorses they were intended to be. Although there are plenty of vintage appliances available, finding one for your home can be difficult if you don't know where to look, what to look for, who to ask or how much you should expect to pay. What follows is a practical guide to finding and living with vintage refrigerators and stoves.

While vintage refrigerators are harder to find than stoves, many refrigerators of the late 1920s, 30s, 40s and 50s are still around and still working. The first electric fridge was the GE Monitor Top, which debuted in 1927. This is a small, single door fridge on legs with the bulbous motor on top. With the motor on top, the heat it generates rises, away from the food storage compartment. As the industry developed, refrigerators became larger, the motor was placed out of sight, most were no longer on legs and, in many, the tops were arched, giving them a soft look. By the early 1950s Westinghouse was selling a frost-free model.

If you are looking for a refurbished, shining example of one of these beauties you can try Jowers Antique Appliances or Monitor Top . Jowers Antique Appliances is located in Clayton, GA. They restore and sell vintage refrigerators or they can restore a fridge you already own. They also sell door gasket material. Their fully restored refrigerators sell for $2,500 to $10,000 with a $150 crating fee and shipping costs between $275 and $375. Mike Arnold, of Monitor Top, in Troy, NY does 20th century appliance restoration. Here, too, you can buy a vintage fridge directly or have yours restored. Refrigerators start at $250.00 and range to $2,500. The buyer arranges shipping. Mr. Arnold explains his service, "All items are cleaned and serviced and detailed to the customer's specifications. A $250.00 refrigerator (for instance) would be ready to run but in need of a paint job… this could be done by the customer, or by my painter at the going rate for labor and materials, at which point it presents as close to new as possible. I try to work within the budget of my customers and tailor the restoration of the item to their needs."

If you would like an old fridge in need of some TLC, or if a fully restored appliance isn't in your budget, there are several places to look. It may take some creativity and persistence to find a vintage fridge on your own. You will probably have to rely on those in private homes for sale by individuals. In my experience, used appliance stores rarely have vintage appliances. It seems that most of their customers are looking for something close to new. If the trend towards installing vintage appliances continues, some used appliance retailers may catch on and start stocking them. So while it doesn't hurt to try, this is probably not your best bet.

People who run estate and household sale businesses are a good resource. They are often listed under both "Estates" and "Household Sales" in the yellow pages. Call those that operate in established neighborhoods where there are likely to be old appliances stashed in the basement. When you call, introduce yourself, explain what you are looking for and ask if they are willing to take your number and call you if anything comes up at a sale. Most people in this business consider this part of their job and are willing to help you find what you are looking for, especially if it is unusual. Vintage appliances are not hot sellers at these sales, so the prices are often fantastic. I got an early 50s fridge, in very good working condition, with all the original parts and the manual for $40. Be sure to plug a fridge in before you buy it, even if you have been told it works. Avoid refrigerators with missing shelves. They are hard to replace.

Sometimes you may see a vintage fridge out on the curb. If you do, and you want it, it is always polite to ask the owner if you can have it or buy it for a few dollars. Asking permission also gives you the chance to ask if it works. I recently saw an old Kelvinator fridge on the curb. There was a $10 price tag stuck to the front of it. Obviously, the owner had tried to sell it before ditching it. If your city has municipal garbage pick-up, there may be days designated for appliances or large objects. The night before is good time to drive around neighborhoods with old houses to see if you can scoop up an old appliance. A truck, a dolly, and a strong buddy always come in handy on these occasions. It is important to remember that any appliance picked up off the street is likely to need some repair and restoration.

If you live in a large urban area where the vintage appliance market is strong, you can try the classified ads of you local paper. If you don't see anything or live in a place where interest is low, consider placing a "want to buy" ad in your local paper. You can be very specific about what you are looking for. Most people, unless they are the original owner, won't know the vintage of their appliance so it is best to use descriptive words and phrases like single-door, arch-top, old fridge with legs or old fridge with motor on top. You can name brands like Westinghouse, GE, Kelvinator, and Frigidaire. Be prepared to back out gracefully if someone calls you out to see something that isn't what you want. Make sure to state in your ad the condition you want the appliance to be in. Another place to look is the classified ads in some web versions of old house magazines. You can often place a wanted ad on these sites for free. There are listings by individuals from all over the country, making it easy to find an appliance you can pick up yourself. Prices are generally reasonable and often negotiable. Be sure to ask many questions about condition and request photos of any item you are interested in. Be aware that unrestored refrigerators may be worth anywhere from $50 to a few hundred dollars; they are not worth thousands.

The most effective way to find a vintage appliance is simply to tell everyone you know that you are looking for one. Quite a lot of people are shocked that anyone wants old appliances and will enthusiastically give them away. Most of us don't go into the basements of friends, relatives and neighbors often enough to know who might have a vintage appliance they are willing to part with. The 1940s fridge that my neighbors tossed out was in the basement of their house for years. My husband's grandmother had a wonderful old stove in her basement that we didn't know about until after the house and stove were sold. She told me that if she had only known that we were interested, she would have gladly given it to us.

Once you have found and installed your vintage fridge, you may be a little dismayed to discover that living with it takes some adjustment. There is much less space than in a modern fridge and caring for it may take a little more effort. Coping with the limited space requires planning and some ingenuity, especially if you entertain. Many people opt for a second, modern fridge in the basement or garage, making an old fridge less inconvenient.

The inside of a vintage fridge can be cleaned with soapy water, just like a modern fridge but the outside will look better with occasional waxing. Wax used to be packaged under appliance brand names and people would wax their appliance to a high gloss. Today, you can use basic car wax to make your old appliance shine. Most vintage refrigerators also will require routine defrosting. Remember to be gentle. Although it is tempting, never chip away at ice with a sharp object. Turn the fridge off, take everything out of the freezer chest and use pans of hot water to melt the frost.

There is a common perception that vintage refrigerators are energy hogs. As long as a vintage refrigerator has a good seal with proper door gasket material, it should not consume any more energy than a modern fridge. Modern refrigerators are constantly running cooling and heating cycles to keep them cold and frost-free. Features like icemakers use even more energy, so your old fridge may actually use less energy than its modern counterpart. A restored fridge, with new insulation, door gaskets and mechanical system is quite efficient.

More people seem willing to live with a vintage stove than with a vintage fridge. So while there are more vintage stoves available, there is also a higher demand. Gas stoves are easier to find than electric and those from the 1940s and 50s are easier to find than older models.

Both Jowers Antique Appliances and Monitor Top sell refurbished stoves. At Antique Appliances they cost between $1800 and $20,000. At Monitor Top they start at $250 and range to $2500. Antiquegasstoves.com is a California company selling completely restored stoves by makers such as Wedgewood, O'Keefe and Merritt, and Western Holly. They offer re-porcelain and re-chroming services for stove parts as well as rebuilding services for thermostats, burner valves, safety valves, clocks and timers. You can order stove knobs, oven door handles and door springs from their web site. They will also assess the value of a vintage stove for you based on four photos, and a completed assessment form for a $25 fee and a S.A.S.E. There is a waiting list to purchase a stove from antiquegasstoves.com.

Antiquestoves.com sells gas stoves, wood cook stoves, wood and gas stoves and electric stoves. They will also restore a stove you already own. This site prominently features Chambers stoves, which sell for $1,500 to $3,500 restored. If you don't see what you are looking for you can subscribe to the Antique stoves inventory update list, which lets you select the type of stoves you are interested in. Antiquestoves.com also offers stove assessments for $25 and a S.A.S.E. At their web site you can buy how-to manuals for old stoves, look through the history of stoves in America or browse the classifieds section of individuals selling stoves.

If you would prefer an unrestored stove, you can use the same methods suggested for finding refrigerators. You can also try eBay. There are always vintage stoves listed there, but trying to find exactly what you want can be frustrating because everyone lists items differently. Try searching for a brand or era. For instance if a 1920s stove appeals to you try searching under 1920s stove. Next try 1920s range. Always try both stove and range; you will find different items under each. You can also try searching by brand. Wedgewood (add stove or range after this one), O'Keefe and Merritt, Chambers, Tappan (stove or range), Western Holly, Magic Chef (stove or range), and Roper were popular brands. It is a good idea to wait for a stove to come up in an area where you can easily pick it up. Often, the cost of crating and shipping can be more than the winning bid for the stove. Some sellers are now requiring the buyer to pick-up the stove and refusing to ship. If the sellers don't say, you should ask if a stove is in working condition, when it was last used, if and where it has been stored, if the oven thermostat works, if it is chipped, rusted or missing any parts. Ask all of your questions before you bid. You can also search completed auctions to see if the stove you are interested in has been offered before and what similar stoves have sold for.

Most vintage stoves are larger than today's standard 30" ranges. They generally have smaller ovens but more storage. Keep in mind that there are safety concerns with ovens and burners that have to be lit by hand. The gas can be on without having the burner or oven lit, and you may not notice it's on until the smell of natural gas becomes strong. You can use oven cleaner on the inside of your vintage range but some ranges have convenient removable parts, the oven floor for instance, that can be cleaned in the sink with detergent and steel wool. You can polish the porcelain of your stove with occasional waxing.

The solid construction of old stoves and refrigerators and the extra features like burner covers, griddles, storage/warming drawers, mechanical timers and metal ice trays make them a great value. They just look right in old houses and it feels good to save from the landfill something that was meant to last. Once you have found an old appliance, think of the fun in hunting down accessories like range shakers and refrigerator dishes to go with it. You may even be able to find an old ad for your particular appliance. Buying a vintage appliance for your kitchen is more than just an aesthetic choice. It's more than just a trend shown in glossy magazines. It takes time to get accustomed to using a vintage appliance every day. Old appliances are a lifestyle choice, and maybe even an old house badge of honor.