❤ This is the guy that started it all! Mr. Bob Page! ❤
Replacements, ltd. is a seriously fun place for anyone who loves dishes, glassware, and silver. I was totally the weirdo kid who bought her first set of dishes (dessert plates with little purple violets with a silver rim–for $6 at an antique mall in Ybor City) at the ripe age of eight. For those like *us* Replacements is about like Disney World. From what I have read, Mr. Page was probably a kid like me. 🙂 You can read more about him and how his dish empire started here.
Apartment Therapy visits Replacements is a neat tour of the whole shebang. There are even a few little video clips to watch to whet your appetite. The article mentions hearing the “tinging” of china and glass as workers check pieces for cracks–mom and I immediately noticed this when we went in the warehouse. Such a lovely ringing sound!
The welcome staff on the showroom floor was super friendly, even to a weirdo like me. They even have a nice customer lounge (presumably for those suckers who got brought along for the ride against their will, teehee) with a teevee and a Keurig machine so there is literally something for everyone.
Well behaved pets…Duck is so not invited, haha!
The hall of fame–samples of most popular patterns for all the big brand names.
SO MANY PRETTIES!
There is even a movie with parts filmed at Replacements called Junebug. It has a totally all star cast including Amy Adams, Scott Wilson (Hershel Greene from Walking Dead), Celia Weston (she plays the sweet southern Grandmother in like everything) and even Will Oldham (Bonnie Prince Billy). I first saw it when I lived in Missouri and was like “OMG NC!”–it was a real treat to have a slice of North Carolina culture on the silver screen.
Replacements is about more than just plates, crystal, and silver. They sell all manner of tchotchkes. From commemorative plates for British Royalty to deviled egg candles, this place has you covered. Most of what you’ll see in this next photos is for sale, and the prices are really pretty reasonable for a little piece of history.
Be sure to check out “Bob’s Discount Corner” where everything is less than $10!
There are tons of Christmas and winter holiday decor to drool over. I sort of think these glass ornaments are weird, but I continue to be enamored of them. I especially love the placement of the heart, cigar, beers, and ice-cream in a row together. I’ve always thought the Pickle ornament traditions was a little weird, despite my true love of pickles. Anyway, I really like the cut tomato that is to the left of the pickle in the second picture below. I also like the fortune cookie!
The ornament I was most tempted by was the little turkey and ham. I think I’ve mentioned before my great love of Beatrix Potter and her delightful animal creatures. My all time favorite book of hers is The Tale of Two Bad Mice. It’s a story about a husband and wife mouse that happen upon a doll house and get super mad about the fake food they discover there. Below left is an illustration of Tom Thumb attempting to carve a porcelain ham…which is rather similar to the perfectly doll sized glittery ham ornament on the right! I couldn’t bring myself to shell out the $12 bucks for it, but I might have to make the trip another time and get a Christmas ham for my dollies!
I have a pretty extensive collection of Beatrix Potter figurines and so does Replacements. They has quite a few of the same ones that I own (and it was informative to know how much they are currently worth!) and a few that I don’t. Below is Alderman Ptolemy Tortoise from the Tale of Mr. Jeremy Fisher. Now he is officially on my to-buy list. In the story he brings a salad in a string bag to Jeremy’s house for dinner. That’s what the figurine is carrying. Isn’t he a dour sort of looking fellow?
But for real y’all, if you are running through Greensboro you gotta hit the frontage road and have a dish adventure! And buy me this little tortoise, why don’t ya? Or a little deviled egg candle would also do! 🙂
Have you been before? What was your favorite part? Did you buy a Christmas Ham for your dolls? Tell me all about it!
The Particular Overall Collection 
I first “met” Replacements when I was living in Greensboro and the business was still quite small. At that time, it was housed literally in a house!! I don’t remember the exact location, but the house was a very small, cute 1930s-type house. To look for your china pattern, someone told you which floor to go to (no computers then) and you got to browse through the various rooms of the house – upstairs and in the basement – until you perhaps found the pattern you were looking to find in a small cabinet or corner of a stairway. At that time, I was looking for Grandmother’s crystal pattern (and perhaps also her rose china pattern).
Obviously, the business has truly expanded since then. I agree that the new location certainly has something for everyone! But searching for a treasure in the “original” small house really left you with that true sense of exploration/adventure (the shopping kind!). Thank you for reminding me of that very special time in my life.
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That is so neat! I had no idea you got to go to the original location. I remember hearing it being talked about for as long as I can remember! I think there was a Southern Living article at some point. I should try to find that. Thanks for sharing your Replacements story! ❤
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I LOVE those neighborhood building herb/spice holders! right now my spices are a nightmare to get to and use. These would be so cute on the counter!
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I love them, too! They were in “Bob’s discount corner” and each one was 10 bucks and I wanted them so bad! I couldn’t justify buying myself the whole set. They would be beyond adorable on the counter…or in my doll house 😉
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I had my first visit to Replacements over a year ago – a treat for myself on a drive back from Raleigh. It is a glorious place. Every nook and cranny covered with interesting and beautiful things. On the Junebug note, I know the person who wrote the original theater short that eventually turned into the movie. He went to NCSA, and lives/lived in Winston-Salem. I’m making plans to return, with my daughter and daughter-in-law.
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Isn’t it wonderful?! I’m sure it’s different every time since there is so much to see! I had no idea the movie started out as a short–I’ll have to look and see if I can find it. I’d love to see the inspiration. I love that Replacements triggered such neat characters 🙂
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