Some time ago, I had read about the awesomeness of Deck’s Glassware on Eartha Kitsch’s blog* and made a mental note to visit one day. That day finally came and Deck’s was our #1 destination as we rolled into Chattanooga. It is truly a gold mine for thrift diggers and dishware enthusiasts. When Chester, the gracious owner, showed us the expansive back rooms, I actually got light-headed with glee. It feels like a hangar’s worth of great restaurant stock, a lot of it manufactured in the ’50s, ’60s, and ’70s.

Dean and I put on our gloves and cheerfully browsed the many stacks and boxes. This is my favorite type of shopping environment- a little dirt and a lot of treasures to unearth.

Though we have quite a few vintage dishes, I am woefully ignorant of the history behind most brands. It was really cool to hear from Chester about the Indiana Glass company, different Homer Laughlin pieces, and to learn that the letters/numbers on the bottom of a plate can tell you the manufacture date.

Here is MOST of our haul, all cleaned up!

It’s hard to see in this photo but the purple mug has Humpty Dumpty on one side and Tom, Tom, the Piper’s son on the other. We learned it was part of a children’s set which originally included a divided plate- so cute!

Lastly, I completely melted when Chester gave us a few pieces, including these Olympia glasses after we’d said we moved to the South from Washington state. Omigod, Dean and I were just bowled over by his kindness. I can’t recommend a visit highly enough! Deck’s Glassware is located at 4118 Dodds Avenue in Chattanooga, Tennessee. :)

*More recently, Deck’s was mentioned by a gal out here in Athens which reminded me that I finally lived close enough visit. When I googled for the original blog post by Ms Kitsch, I found another blogger’s account of Deck’s!