For some folks, updating an 80-year-old farm house might mean the 63-year-old kitchen stove would have to go.
For the Stitt family in Snohomish, the antique range had to stay.
When they found the old chicken ranch property about five years ago in Snohomish, the deal came down to who got the 1941 Wedgewood range.
Melissa and Peter Stitt said no stove, no deal, and the sellers caved. They’ve used the sturdy appliance ever since.
Melissa Stitt teaches math at Sky Valley Educational Center in Monroe. Peter Stitt is a retired Navy commander and works from home for Stratizon Corp. The family includes sons Timothy, 13, and Daniel, 11.
The former traveling Navy family lived in California, Maryland, Rhode Island, Washington, D.C., Japan, Texas and Bahrain. Peter Stitt, a Monroe native whose last assignment was on the USS Abraham Lincoln, knew he would retire and resettle within an hour of a ski resort.
They couldn’t have found nicer neighbors on Fobes Hill.
Peter Stitt wanted to dig in the dirt and grow corn and green beans. His wife said his third child is his tractor.
One neighbor taught Melissa Stitt how to can food on her 1941 Wedgewood. As we visited, she baked coffee cake. The light still worked and the clock told time. The best feature is a cooking guide on the front panel with temperature suggestions for rib roast and biscuits.
Wedgewood stoves are known for reliability.
Terri Smith of Antique Gas Stoves in Montclair, Calif., said customers want restored stoves because of the look and their dependable features.
Wedgewood went out of business in the early 1960s, she said. Gas Wedgewoods don’t need electricity, so they work when the power goes out.
There is even an Old Appliance Club that offers members information on appliances back to the 1900s. Old Appliance Club assistant Gina Thompson, said her company, J.E.S. Enterprises in California, operates the oldest antique stove service in the country.
“We have customers throughout the USA and the rest of the world that use, buy, sell and restore nothing but vintage equipment in their homes.” Thompson said. “In our Old Appliance Club, we have 6,000 subscribers worldwide.”
Marsha Stonecipher sells antique stoves at Save on Appliance in Burbank, Calif. She sells mostly to folks between 20 and 50 year old, she said, with every kind of lifestyle. And she sells to those who get tired of buying new stoves every few years when they break. They want stoves like their grandmothers had.
“I ship from Washington to New York,” Stonecipher said. “I used to sell more regular stoves, now I sell more vintage ranges. They’re the best stoves ever built and will last for generations.”
At the Stitt home, the old gas Wedgewood comes in mighty handy when the lights go out. Neighbors in the know gather in the Stitt kitchen for a hot meal.
“I can still cook with no electricity,” Melissa Stitt said. “I light several of my antique oil lamps, cook a big hot meal (lasagna, stew, chili, etc.) and invite any neighbor who is without power.”
The folks next door have four children and a mother-in-law who appreciates not having peanut butter for dinner during a power outage, she said.
“Also, our old rotary dial phone works so we can all make calls without draining cellphone juice. Then we play cards like pinochle or hearts and the kids play board games. We kind of like these occasions. No computer, TV, Nintendo, just quality people time like the kind we grew up with.”
Relatives arrive today for a Friday turkey feast. I hope the power stays on, but dinner will still be perfect on the old stove.
Columnist Kristi O’Harran: 425-339-3451 or oharran@heraldnet.com.
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