While attending a wedding in Princeton, Illinois last weekend I stepped into the most AMAZING store I've ever seen! Hoffman's is a treasure trove of all things vintage and like their sign says, if you're looking for replacements for 'patterns of the past' to complete your vintage dinnerware, glassware or flatware -- you've come to the right place!!
After being greeted by two of the sweetest gals (I'll get to them later), I was instructed to head to the lower level which took my breath away. Narrow aisle after aisle after aisle with twists and turns leading to nooks, crannies and corners filled with stacks and stacks and STACKS floor to ceiling of dishes. (Side Note: After just a few minutes in the basement with me, my sweet hubby said, "You take your time. I'm going back to the hotel". Haha - he KNEW I'd be awhile.
Every stack is neatly grouped by manufacturer. Now that's incredible enough but THEN, each stack is displayed alphabetically by pattern!
Just look at these beauties! Some patterns had many pieces, some just a few but everything is neatly labeled and if you can't find what you're looking for, just ask and they seem to know exactly where find it!
Like a kid in a candy store I was talking out loud to myself in utter amazement at so many beautiful patterns and styles of dinnerware.
I just loved all of these gold and silver gilded plates!
Lots of serving pieces like these tureens, casserole dishes and other serving pieces.
Don't forget to look up because there are also shelves and shelves of gorgeous glassware and stemware! And right above your head on all of the cross beams are 'orphan' tea cups. The signs below most of the stemware tells you to ask for help if you want to handle these and I can see why! Many of these goblets look SO delicate!
Rosenthal is one of my favorite manufacturers - I fell in love with the shape of the creamer and sugar bowl!
This really caught my eye! I have never seen such a translucent tea cup before - you can literally see the inside pattern from the outside!!
Upstairs, the main level is packed with gift items that are not vintage but so many pretty things including jewelry and wedding themed gifts. There are cases and cases of figurines including lots of Snow Babies (which I collect). You can't tell but the figurines on the left are miniature replicas of the larger figurines. I was told that the manufacturer only made these for awhile and then stopped because they had to create special molds for these and it became cost-prohibitive. I bought one but plan to get more in the future!
There is also an upper level (Pictured on the left). Just look at those amazing, original tin ceilings! I found two treasures up here that came home with me.
I love these vintage figurines with a 'mama' animal and her babies. You can find them in just about every animal you can think of but these I'd never seen these. They are described as "hound dog" but I thought they looked like Cocker Spaniels and since we have one of those . . . I had to get these to display in my mom's 1955 shadow box in my living room.
I was SO excited to find this set (and on sale . . . 38.00 for the entire set!) from Japan. It came with four dessert plates, tea cups and saucers, the teapot, creamer and sugar bowl. It will go right into my little china cabinet and be used often!
As I said, the store is run by these two lovely ladies. Sue (on the left) has been helping out at the store for quite a few years. She was at the desk researching the set I was looking for, making phone calls and it's my guess she probably can tell you where everything is!
Jill Morse (on the right) had so many stories to share about the store and it's history. I'd sure love to sit down to tea with her for an afternoon and hear more!!
The store began in the 1850's as a mercantile and was originally across the street from the current location. Jill's dad started at the store in 1944 and immediately realized the potential. Already filled with china and dinnerware, he realized that people were probably looking for those dishes and he began collecting more. Mrs. Hoffman had the store until 1970. Jill told me 'that's when olive green and rust were the top colors' so that's why you still see the olive green carpet!
Are you ready for this?? They have SIX, yes SIX warehouses FULL of inventory that they are still trying to get through!! I believe she said there are 14 rooms full from floor to ceiling in every room above THIS building as well.
Jill has a young girl helping to photograph, catalog and list online nothing but vintage jewelry and her brother is working on the other warehouses. I can't imagine growing up with constant access to all of these beautiful things! You can certainly tell that Jill and Sue love what they do!
SO, were they able to find MY pattern (This was my mom's wedding china that needs four soup bowls replaced in the set.)? NOT YET . . .
Manufactured by Crooksville Pottery in Ohio, the pattern is called Iva-Lure Dinner Rose. Now here's the interesting thing . . . I have YET to find for sale any bowls or even dishes with TWO rose patterns like mine. My dishes are also slightly squared and are slightly 'rippled' . . . they're not flat like a typical plate.
Everything I find has just ONE rose decoration and the plates are completely round.
Jill told me that one of the warehouses has lots of Crooksville and Homer Laughlin (another favorite of mine!) and it's possible it is in there. They have my number so I hope one day I'll get a call saying they found it!
If you are ever in the area, you simply MUST stop in. And even if you're not and you're looking for a replacement . . . give them a call. Jill said this year alone they have shipped to many countries including Australia, Germany and lots to Canada. She said 'the Canadians really like their things' haha! Well I can't fault them . . . I'm a lover of vintage 'things' too!
