Old House Journal

SHOP TOUR Elmira Stove Works

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Tony Dowling took us on a Zoom tour of Elmira Stove Works, where employees assemble, finish, and trim out the various designs for the company’s antique- and retro-style refrigerat­ors, ranges, cookstoves, and other appliances. Eye-popping colors were on display as Dowling Zoomed past finished Northstar refrigerat­ors in red, lime, orange, and burgundy. Then he paused at a workstatio­n where an artisan in protective gear machine-polished a curved, footed cookstove leg from the Antique line. Soon to be renamed Heritage, appliances in the Antique line look like late-19th-century cookstoves, with lustrous black, white, or bisque finishes (plus Cayenne Pepper Red and Liberty Blue), and nickel or copper trim.

Both lines have all the modern components of a quality refrigerat­or, oven, or range. They appeal to customers in the restoratio­n market, but also find a niche with clients looking for something unique to furnish a log cabin or contempora­ry apartment.

Begun in 1975 by Tom Hendrick, the company sells and distribute­s its appliances all over the country and other parts of the world. Hendrick had been selling wood-burning Findlay Oval cookstoves to the Mennonite community near his hometown in Ontario, when one of his stove-part suppliers decided to leave the business. “So Tom bought all of the tooling and parts for the Findlay Oval,” says Dowling, who is Elmira’s vice president of sales and marketing. “He loaded up two tractor-trailers and brought everything back to a chicken barn in Elmira.” Tom’s son, Brian Hendrick, now runs operations, but we ran into Elmira’s long-time owner on the shop floor. He was selecting components for Elmira’s longest-selling product, which has no electrical parts or digital displays. “Tom still likes to handle those,” says Dowling.

right ( left to right) A rack of colorful, ready- for- assembly Northstar range backsplash­es on the shop floor. • After assembly, an Antique- line range gets a thorough cleaning before shipping.

 ??  ?? top Robin’s- egg blue Northstarl­ine appliances, in a Georgia
top Robin’s- egg blue Northstarl­ine appliances, in a Georgia
 ??  ?? kitchen. above Founder Tom Hendrick assembles parts of a wood- burning cook stove.
kitchen. above Founder Tom Hendrick assembles parts of a wood- burning cook stove.

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