Stan Savellis is a self-proclaimed vintage Pyrex geek. He was once invited to speak about all things Pyrex at the Corning Museum of Glass in New York and has even self-published a book titled Dots and Diamonds that proves his love. “I was always drawn to the colours, patterns, design elements and the aesthetics,” he tells Broadsheet.

Savellis began collecting the American brand’s vintage glass ovenware 10 years ago. Not long after, he launched That Retro Piece, an Etsy store dedicated to selling vintage homewares.

Running the online store was always a side hustle for Savellis – until last year, when he was let go from his corporate day job after 16 years and toyed with the idea of opening a physical store in Summer Hill.

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“Across last year, our online sales increased dramatically … [and] after taking a break, I was in the headspace as to whether or not I was going to expand my existing online business, and it all seemed to align. We started to look at the opportunities and here we are today,” Savellis says of the store he opened in February.

As well as a range of well-kept vintage Pyrex, you might come across vintage Japanese kokeshi dolls; oil paintings; Tupperware containers; crystal glassware, mostly from the ’60s and ’70s; coloured glassware; and Johnson of Australia crockery sets, which were popular during the ’70s.

“It’s nice to mix and match. Over the years, I get to know what’s on trend and what falls out of trend,” Savellis says.

But the range available in-store really comes down to what Savellis finds when he’s scouting for new stock. He looks “anywhere and everywhere”, from auction houses to deceased estates, ex-collectors looking to downsize, and – once upon a time – on overseas trips. Savellis says he’s surprised by the number of people who approach him with items they want to sell.

“[That] gives us the opportunity to not only look at stuff directly but learn about the history of where it comes from,” he says. “I love that stuff. If I can tell [customers] a story about where a piece has come [from] when I’m reselling it, you can see the twinkle in their eyes.”

New stock comes through the door weekly. Customers shopping in-store get first dibs before the pieces are put up for sale online. All items are beautifully displayed in the store, which is like a carefully curated museum showcasing only the finest nostalgia-stirring homewares of the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s. “People come in and say, ‘Oh, I remember nan had these,’ or ‘Oh my god, mum still has these’ … it just really takes people back.”

That Retro Piece
36 Grosvenor Crescent, Summer Hill

Hours
Thu to Sat 10am–4pm
Sun 11am–2pm

thatretropiece.com