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Replacements, Ltd. based in Greensboro, North Carolina, sells active and discontinued patterns of china, crystal, silverware, and collectibles. While Replacements, Ltd. offers modern patterns currently in production, it is best known for finding pieces in patterns discontinued years ago. Some of the items in inventory have not been manufactured for more than a century. [1]

Replacements, Ltd. sells to individuals through a large Web site, by direct mail marketing, and with Web and print advertising. The company’s warehouse holds about 12 million items comprising 286,000 different patterns. [2] On its Web site the company offers historical information on manufacturers.

Modern tableware patterns sometimes are purchased in bulk directly from manufacturers, but the company also provides buying information for a grassroots network of individual buyers who ferret out rare pieces at auctions, estate sales, yard sales, and business closings. [3]

The founder and owner of Replacements, Ltd. is Robert Lee “Bob” Page, a native of rural Rockingham County, North Carolina, who collected china and crystal as a hobby while he was employed as a state auditor. Friends often asked him to find pieces for them when he was traveling to flea markets and sales on weekends.

His weekend hobby became a business in 1981, when Page left his auditor’s position, hired a part-time assistant, and began placing advertisements in magazines like Southern Living and Better Homes and Gardens. Customer requests were recorded on 3 x 5 index cards. Office space was his bedroom. Inventory was warehoused in his attic. In fiscal 2007, Replacements, Ltd. counted a customer base of more than 9 million individuals worldwide, and annual sales exceeded $85 million.

Page, along with Dale Fredericksen and Dean Six, an authority on American glass and editor of Silver Magazine, has coauthored several books. Among them are titles on the Homer Laughlin China Company and the famous Japanese china manufacturer, Noritake. References in popular culture

In 2003 Rand McNally named Replacements, Ltd. one of the “Top 25 Free Attractions in America,” citing the company’s free tours of its museum, showroom, and warehouse. In the 2005 film Junebug Benjamin McKenzie played the character Johnny, an employee in the company's order-processing department. A portion of the movie was filmed in the company’s facility.

References

1. Glanton, Dahleen. “No bull: This china shop is one to brake for,” Chicago Tribune, January 31, 2007. 2. Heffernan, Virginia. “Lost and Found,” The New York Times Magazine, March 30, 2008. 3. Penttila, Chris. “Replacements Ltd. serves up memories along with dinnerware,” The Costco Connection, November 2007.

Replacements, Ltd. Type Private Founded 1981, Greensboro, North Carolina, USA Headquarters Greensboro, North Carolina, USA Industry Retail Products China, Crystal, Silverware, Collectibles Web site www.replacements.com