Tennessee Appliance Dealer Going out of Business

[bwoods]

I just found out, rather late, a locally owned Knoxville appliance/TV dealer is going out of business. He has been in business since 1952. Unfortunately, most of his stuff has been sold off, but I found a couple of things some of you might be interested and can give you his phone number if you are.

Sorry I didn't have my camaera with me. I'll try to get back there some time with one, he is about a 40 minute drive away so I am not sure when I'll get back.

A Whirlpool (1980's, I think) display washer with a clear acrylic tub and a window in the front of the unit so you can watch it agitate & spin.

A 1950's Kitchen-Aid dishwasher. The type with the car handle in the middle of the door and cycle knob at the bottom. It is used, one on his customers traded it in on a new machine. But its not in bad shape, and he said it works.

The owner (he's 84 years old)said KitchenAid contacted him some years back and wanted the machine, for publicity purposes, and said they would give him a new one in exchanage for it. But he wouldn't do it. He has a newspaper article about it on the wall of his store.

He has boxes of parts in the basement. I saw one control panel for an old center dial Maytag washing machine.

I bought a reverse rack, belt drive, JennAir (Maytag) TOL dishwasher with the electronic control panel. It must have been one of Maytags first electronic models.

I missed out on a GE SmartWash display dishwasher with the plexiglas in the opening so you could watch it work. (his daughter said I missed it by about 15 minutes, ugh) However, he still has a display Maytag dishwasher for sale.

It's not a reverse rack, but I would say a mid 1990's model, with the wash tower.

Unlike the GE display model. It is not a regular machine. But has an entire plexiglas (360 degree) upper housing so you can watch it work.

He also has a KithchenAid electronic washing machine with all chrome pushbuttons. I have no idea on the year, maybe late eighties to mid nineties?? No clue really.

I am sick about missing out on the sale. I only found out about it because his daughter decided to put an ad on Craigslist, at which point most things had been sold.

I made the mistake of asking him if he had a lot of vintage appliances, and he said, "a basement full." Oh well, I'll just have to cry in my milk a little.

He even has a monitor top GE refrigerator someone traded in back in the fifties, but he said it sold already and it just hadn't been picked up yet.

He also has a nice early 70's Magnavox console color tv (a big set with nice wood cabinet and speakers on each side) if anyone is interested.

 

[DADoES]

 
The KA washer with chrome pushbuttons is not electronic.  It has a mechanical rapid-advance timer.  Unique and fun machine.

 

[xraytech]

I'd love the KitchenAid washer and/or the MAgnavox tv. I'm assuming that shipping may be a bit cost prohibitive

 

Do you know what he is asking for this stuff?

 

[bwoods]

Hi Sam,

No, I don't know his price on the KA washer. I am hoping to go back there tomorrow or soon thereafter, so I'll ask him for you.

Nothing is markaed. When I ask him a price, he pauses for a moment and then he comes up with one off the top of his head. I got the Maytag/JennAir Reverse Rack DW for $25.

 

[bwoods]

Please Help in Determining the Production Date.

Anyone know how to date a Reverse Rack??

The model number is DU588 and the serial number is 792588 TJ.

I believe someone on this site, said that Maytag reduced the pulley size on their belt-drives one year on their RR to reduce performance (maybe to elimnate plasticware from flying around??). Do you know what model year this was done?

 

[combo52]

MT RR DW

Thats a good deal Barry, your new MT RR DW was made May of 1987, the pulley size was reduced to reduce NOISE, with the little jets MT never had trouble with things flying around. In fact On these DWs when you triple stack bowls often the center one won't get washed at all well because of the limited amount of water, I have never had any other DW leave things loaded this way unwashed.

 

[supersuds]

Bet I know who that is.

If I'm right, he used to have a very early Whirlpool washer on display. Wonder what has happened to it.

 

[brianl]

That 80's WP Washer

I like the sound of that machine. Any chance of someone getting and I could get soon if the price is reasonable? Sounds like a fun machine.

 

[mrb627]

KitchenAid Washer

That is a RARE find. I have only seen one of these on the showroom floor at an independent dealer many years ago. I have always wondered about the operation. Would love to have it!

Malcolm

 

[bwoods]

some photos

Just got back from Lane's Appliances. Had more time to talk to the owner, Abe, today. I have a few pictures that I will post with prices. He was very intersting to talk to. I told him I was a GE nut, and he said he was, too. He said they were a good company to work with.

When I asked him what his favorite appliances were (thought for sure he would say GE), he paused for a moment and said, "Maytag." (That is pre-Whirlpool Maytag.)

I asked him about the Reverse Racks, and he said he sold LOTS of them.

He said he was the only independent dealer in Knoxville to carry all the major brands. Oddly enough I saw no Frigidaire's there. He said he had three or four 1-18's he had taken in on trade-in, but gave them to his repairman so he could scrap them and get some money. I kind of gasped, involuntarily, and told them how popular they were with collectors, like us on the AW site. He said he didn't know that and thought he would get rid of them since you couldn't get parts anymore.

I wanted to get permission from his daughter, Joy, before I posted her cell phone #. She said it was fine. So if you have any interest you can call her and she or her dad (the owner, Abe) can help you. She spend many years working at her dad's store, she said.

Joy-- 865-850-8241

will post some picture shortly

 

[bwoods]

KA 1950's door handle dishwasher

Abe said this works fine. It was a trade in. That newspaper article taped onto it tells how Kitchen-Aid contacted him as they wanted this dishwasher for their appliance museum. He said it was the only model they didn't have.

 

[bwoods]

more KA

and inside...

He wants $50 for this.

 

[bwoods]

Unused KA washer

Forgive the very poor quality of the photo. I was in a very dark basement and couldn't find the switch for the light near the washer.

Abe said this was brand new. I don't recall the whole story, but I think he said it was a delivery to someone and they found out there was a small crack in the fill solenoid, so he took it back to the store. It was never used.

He wants $200

 

[bwoods]

the non-reverse rack Maytag Display

He did not give me a price on this. My guess is he would sell it for between $25 - 50.

 

[bwoods]

old radio

Here is an old radio that looks like a table when the lid is down. He did not give me a price on this.

 

[bwoods]

Whirlpool window washer and Maytag Wringer

My apologies. I don't know what happened, but neither picture came out.

I'll try to get back there tomorrow and reshoot them.

He wants $100 for the Display Model Whirlpool with the window. He wants $250 for the Maytag Wringer.

I found a box with just the empty GE, Whirlpool, Gibson, Maytag, etc. binders and he said he was going through and pulling out the literature and throwing it away. He thought some kids might want the binders for school. He thought there was no value to what was inside, sales catalogs, brochures, and training manuals, so he pitched them. After another audible gasps, I told him many of us would LOVE to have the original literature!

Neither he, nor his daughter, knew there was such a thing as vintage appliance collectors.

We've got to get the word out there!!

Stay tuned...

 

[jakeseacrest]

I would love to go and see what he has! Did you buy the clear Maytag too?

 

[bwoods]

No, I only bought the Maytag RR, Michael. The clear display model is still for sale.

 

[arbilab]

Ever notice the similarity among Robby the Robot from Forbidden Planet, B-9 from Lost in Space, and TL washers? Robert Kinoshita is said to have designed clear demo washers before he designed Hollywood props. Looking quickly, haven't been able to verify or determine who he worked for. Sources indicate he's still alive at 98.