09/25/2023
Time capsule: O'Keefe-Merritt
Every now and then we get a call to service a stove that's never been used. Man, does that make our stove-nerd pulse take a jump. This slim mid-50's O'Keefe-Merritt sorta fits that category.
"Sorta", because despite being pristine inside and out, it HAD been used - for almost 60 years. That's when, in 2007, the original owner sent it to be (very nicely) restored at Antique Appliance in Georgia. Unfortunately, due to various and sundry circumstances, that owner never got the chance to install and use it again. She moved multiple times, always having it professionally transported and, very fortunately, stored in climate-controlled facilities. Finally, sadly, she realized her longing of using her old brand-new O/M was never going to happen, and put the stove up for sale.
Shortly after, we got the call: the buyer, who had just brought it to her recently purchased and under-renovation bungalow in Chicago, wanted us to hook it up, get it running, and check everything out. Amidst the chaos of construction activity, we put it up on wheels and dug in: not a speck of grease. No dirt. No rust. Such a pleasure, compared to the typical grunge accumulated in 99.9% of the stoves we service.
On that theme, we'll follow up with a "one that got away" story: A black Chambers C who's original owner immediately relegated to the basement, and never used again.
